


The Battle for Neal Caffrey's Soul or How Sara Ellis and Teddy Winters Finally Learned to Get Along

by storywriter55



Series: Neal and Sara's Wonderful Adventure [3]
Category: White Collar
Genre: Conflict Resolution, Friendship, Gen, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:26:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 39,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27332641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storywriter55/pseuds/storywriter55
Summary: Mozzie and Sara negotiate a truce in order to co-exist peacefully in Neal's world. Part of 'Neal and Sara's Wonderful Adventure (Week 11)
Relationships: Neal Caffrey & Mozzie, Neal Caffrey/Sara Ellis, Sara Ellis & Mozzie
Series: Neal and Sara's Wonderful Adventure [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1995649
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

Neal could hear the loud voices resonating in the stairwell even before he hit the landing. The voices of two people who meant the world to him - just not to each other. He sighed loudly and took in a long deep breath, stopping momentarily right outside the door to his loft so he could eavesdrop on the conversation. 

Sadly, the sound of arguing had become all too familiar: the male voice slightly whiny and argumentative, the female one, strong and decisive.

‘I don’t know where you got that idea. Neal and I have plans. We’re meeting a… contact at four o’clock.’

There was silence for a moment, then some soft clicking sounds Neal recognized as a cell phone. ‘See…’ he heard Sara say, her voice shaky. ‘Dr. Cooper, 4:15.’

Neal groaned. He’d completely forgotten he’d promised Mozzie to go with him to meet a local fence. Not for the first time since Sara had moved in, he’d gone and double booked himself. Again.

‘You know just because you’re staying here doesn’t mean Neal’s life has to be turned upside down’ he heard Mozzie say.

The sound of wine bottles clinking could be heard through the closed door. ‘And by the way, we always keep the Merlot here, closer to the front. It stays a little cooler that way.’

‘Seriously Mozzie?’ came Sara’s indignant voice. ‘I didn’t touch your precious Merlot.’

‘Ever since you moved in, you’ve…’

Neal leaned in, pressing his ear up against the door. He tried to imagine his buddy weighing his words carefully. Well, not too carefully - this was Mozzie after all. 

‘You know, you can’t just come in here and…’

There was a brief hesitation, almost as if Mozzie was daring Sara to interrupt with a counterargument of her own. When she didn’t, he charged ahead. ‘… you can’t just come in here and change everything around. Neal and I have our own way of doing things around here.’

Neal cringed, imagining the look of exasperation on his girlfriend’s face. She was usually quick with the quips and her prolonged silence could only mean one thing: Moz had landed a successful strike, leaving her speechless which, up until just recently was practically unheard of. 

As long as Neal had known her, Sara Ellis had never had any qualms about speaking her mind. As a matter of fact, it was one of the things he loved most about her. She was as smart as they came and headstrong to boot - a formidable opponent able to argue her point no matter the topic of discussion. Her quick wit and biting sarcasm made the playful repartee between the two of them fun and exciting and Neal knew for a fact she had no compunction about giving as good as she got. All modesty aside, besides Peter Burke, there weren’t many people Neal Caffrey found as clever and shrewd as himself. But when it came to Sara, more often that not, he’d find himself getting lost in those bright green eyes of hers and he would end up capitulating to her barbs, enjoying that sharp tongue of hers - along with some other choice parts of her outstanding anatomy. 

But since those pregnancy hormones had begun coursing through her veins, Neal had noticed that all bets were off. Sara’s usual composure and sharp intellect had succumbed to the alien who had invaded her body and had apparently robbed her of her usual sense of humour and exceptional self control. 

Before the recent hormonal assault on her body, he’d never had to worry about setting her off - or hurting her feelings. She could roll with the punches and strike mercilessly with one of her pointed, caustic replies, leaving you in the dust. But lately, he’d been on the receiving end of unusual and totally unexpected meltdowns, unsure how to react or how to keep from setting off the fireworks in the first place. 

Fact was, since the two of them had met in that courtroom years before, ‘emotional Sara’ had rarely made an appearance. There’d been the tears in her eyes the day she’d broken up with him and the quiver in her voice when she’d opened up about her sister’s disappearance. A few months back, when Neal had returned from Cape Verde, he’d watched her struggle to hide the pain he’d inflicted on her by leaving and it had taken months for Neal to get back in her good graces. Beyond those rare glimpses into Sara’s well hidden sentimental side, she played things close to the vest and had always been aces at keeping her emotions in check. 

But these days, with her body under siege, she’d become volatile and vulnerable - something he’d never witnessed before. Since the news of her pregnancy, ‘emotional Sara’ had been coming out to play on a regular basis and he could see how hard she was fighting her metamorphosis. Alas, without much success. 

Neal was becoming increasingly perplexed about reacting to new Sara, doing his best to sidestep the landmines that might - or might not - set her off. It seemed that, these days, all he had to do was place his hand on her baby bump and whisper ‘mommy…’ in her ear for the beautiful redhead to dissolve into tears. Just last week, he’d found her sobbing while watching a commercial for life insurance of all things, something she would have labelled mundane and manipulative mere weeks ago. 

He leaned in against the door to the apartment, holding his breath as he picked up on an uneasy silence. The next sound he heard was all too familiar: Sara sniffling and the sound of Mozzie moving around the apartment, presumably collecting his things. He was just about to step through the door to investigate when it flung open and Mozzie stepped out, huffing and puffing.

‘Your girlfriend is nuts, you know that?’ he declared loudly as he hurried past Neal and headed down the stairs. 

Neal’s mouth dropped open as he watched him leave and he took a tentative step into the apartment, finding Sara nowhere is sight.

‘Sara! I’m home’ he called out, cringing at the domesticity of his words.

‘Sara!’ 

He moved towards the back of the apartment, noticing the bathroom door closed. Like a wounded bird, she’d gone in there to take refuge - probably too proud to show her vulnerabilities in front of Mozzie. 

‘Sara, you in there?’ he called out through the closed door.

He put his hand on the doorknob and opened the door a crack in order to peek in. There she sat on the edge of the tub, sobbing quietly.

She turned away to avoid his gaze but it was too late.

‘Hey…’ he said, hurrying towards her and kneeling at her feet. His hand reached out, resting on the cast that still covered her left arm. ‘What’s the matter, what’s going on?’

Truth was, he knew exactly what was going on - instead of dealing with Mozzie as she normally did, using her acerbic tongue to mortally wound him, she’d fallen apart. Chances were she was just as confused about her reaction as Neal was. 

‘You forgot about my appointment at the doctor’s’ she whimpered.

‘Of course I didn’t!’ he said, taking her hand and caressing her knuckles lovingly. ‘That’s why I came home early.’

‘But Mozzie said you were…’

Short of admitting he’d been eavesdropping on their conversation, Neal had no choice but to let her finish what she’d started to say.

‘Mozzie said you were headed out with him to meet a contact.’

He scoffed, not willing to admit his memory lapse. Truth was, he’d been feeling pulled in both directions for weeks now - what with having a pregnant live-in girlfriend and Mozzie acting like a jealous wife.

‘Mozzie says a lot of things’ Neal said, bringing his hand to rest in her hair. He gave her one of those reassuring smiles and watched as she turned her head to look at him.

‘Sorry…’ she blurted out. ‘I just don’t know what’s gotten into me lately.’

Neal stood and joined her on the edge of the tub, his arm settling around her shoulder. He pulled her into him. 

‘What are you talking about? Not only are you growing a perfect little human being inside you’ he said, placing his hand momentarily on her belly. ‘You’re working full time, your arm is in a cast and your ribs are still sore from having been kicked around by…’ He stopped suddenly. The image of finding her unconscious and beaten on the cold hard floor of an abandoned factory still made his blood boil every time. 

‘Is it any wonder you’ve been feeling…’ He hesitated, not wanting to further upset her by using the wrong word.

‘Emotional… unglued… vulnerable… a hot mess?’ she suggested with a sniffle and an accompanying smile.

He brought his lips to rest on her forehead and sighed in relief, glad he hadn’t had to put his own label on her recent behaviour but more importantly, relieved that now that she’d moved in with him, she was safe and sound. 

‘This pregnancy thing… it’s new for both of us.’ 

He gently wiped her cheeks and watched as she began to catch her breath, smiling through her tears.

‘It’s… normal’ he added, not exactly the word one might use to describe how things had been going since she’d moved in. 

Nevertheless, Neal’s choice of words managed to placate her. He waited for her breathing to settle and murmured in her ear.

‘Are you almost ready to go?’ 

She was still frowning and he decided he needed to sweeten the deal. ‘You know, I was thinking… afterwards, I might take you to that Thai place you like for dinner, you know the one that’s up the street from Doctor Cooper’s office?’

Her smile grew and she nodded. She got to her feet and cleared her throat, almost instantaneously morphing into strong, no nonsense Sara Ellis. Neal’s eyes came face to face with her burgeoning belly and his heart swelled as it did every time it dawned on him that the woman he loved was carrying his baby. It was the slightest of bulges but he felt his throat tighten at the sight and he brought his lips to rest on her baby bump and settled his hands on her hips.

Sara reached out and ran her hands through his thick head of hair. Sometimes, just the sight of him gazing at her with that goofy look on his face was enough to trigger an onslaught of tears but this time, she took a step back and shooed his hands away, urging him to get up. 

‘Come on Caffrey. Let’s go. Traffic’s going to be hell.’

WCWCWC

‘So, do you think Neal’s up to something?’ Elizabeth Burke asked her husband.

He sat across from her at their dining room table, staring at his laptop. From the look on his face, she could tell he was checking Neal’s whereabouts.

‘I don’t know El… I really don’t know.’

‘I could try talking to Moz, do some digging around.’

Peter’s eyes moved from the screen to his wife, shaking his head and thus, expressing his disapproval.

‘You stay out of it. I don’t want you getting mixed up in any Bureau business.’

‘Honey, it’s Moz’ she reminded him. ‘Not exactly public enemy number one.’

She got to her feet and moved to stand behind him, checking the screen over his shoulder. She pointed to the green dot.

‘Exactly where he said he’d be’ Peter commented.

‘You really thought he was lying about Sara having a doctor’s appointment?’

Peter shrugged. He’d given Neal special dispensation for the next two hours so he could accompany Sara to her doctor’s appointment whose office was outside his normal radius. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that Neal was up to something whenever he invoked Sara’s pregnancy as a reason to ask for special treatment. 

Peter slammed the laptop shut and got to his feet, slipping into his suit jacket. El could see the exasperation on his face.

‘I just… I can’t figure him out. Sometimes, he looks like he’s hiding something and then… when it comes to Sara and the baby, he walks around with his heart on his sleeve.’

El’s hand rested on his shoulder. ‘Honey, Sara getting pregnant came as a huge shock to both of them’ she reminded him. ‘And then Sara getting beaten up on that recovery and moving into Neal’s place… it’s just a lot for the two of them to have to deal with. Neither one of them saw this coming. Why don’t you cut him a little slack?’

Peter nodded and began collecting the papers that were strewn across their dining room table, stuffing them into his briefcase.

‘Well, you just never know with Neal. One minute, he looks as innocent as a lamb and next thing I know, I find out he’s been sneaking around behind my back.’

Elizabeth stood on the tips of her toes and placed a kiss on his cheek. ‘Why don’t you give him the benefit of the doubt for now.’

He nodded grudgingly. ‘I hope I don’t live to regret it.’

WCWCWC

‘So are you going to stop beating around the bush and tell me why you’re really here?’ Elizabeth asked once she and her unexpected guest had settled in for their second cup of tea.

‘What do you mean? I came by to bring you those gorgeous irises’ Mozzie declared with pride.

El raised her eyebrows. ‘You’re losing your touch Moz. Those are Oriental lilies’ she said with a clipped tone.

Mozzie frowned and his tone grew histrionic. ‘Why are you being like that instead of just… enjoying our little visit?' 

‘Because I know you Moz. I know you came over because something is on your mind. And for your information, I am enjoying our visit.’

Mozzie got to his feet and began pacing. ‘Fine!’ he shouted. ‘Maybe there is a little something on my mind.'

‘What did Neal do now?’

‘What makes you think this is about Neal?’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Because it’s always about Neal. Tell me I’m wrong.’

He scoffed. ‘You know except for the fact Neal has to play choir boy whenever your husband is around, things have been pretty well… perfect between us since he was released from prison.’

‘You mean since Peter took him on as his CI instead of letting him rot in jail’ Elizabeth countered.

‘Potato, po-taw-to’ Mozzie whined. 

El giggled. Why she put up with Mozzie’s craziness, she’d never know.

Mozzie settled back at the kitchen island, trying to put his thoughts into words. ‘Neal and I… we understand each other. We can pretty well read each other’s mind. We’ve developed this… complicity over the years.’

Elizabeth leaned in to listen.

Mozzie continued earnestly. ‘It took us years and years to understand how the other one thinks. That’s what makes us such a great team.’

‘And…’

‘And… I’m not crazy about people messing with that… delicate balance.’

El’s eyes lit up. ‘Oh, so this is about Sara moving in’ she said.

Mozzie gave her the evil eye. ‘Neal acts like a lost little puppy dog whenever she’s around.’

‘You do realize he’s in love with her and she’s carrying his child, right?'

‘Why should that change anything? I was there for Neal long before little miss Repo came along, batting her eyelashes at him.’

‘I think the eyelash batting was reciprocal Moz’ El said patiently.

Mozzie’s pout intensified as he set his elbows on the counter and looked at El defiantly. 

‘We were doing just fine before she came along’ he complained. ‘And now she wants to change everything…’

‘Such as…’

Deep wrinkles appeared on Mozzie’s forehead as he searched for the perfect example.

‘For one thing, she’s there morning, noon and night’ he began, not getting much of a reaction. ‘And Neal’s taken to locking the door to his apartment.’

He waited for El to look indignant and when that didn’t happen, he carried on. ‘I used to be able to just walk in whenever I wanted. Neal and I don’t have any secrets from each other.’

‘Don’t you think Neal and Sara are entitled to a little bit of privacy?’

‘That’s my point. She’s just staying with him temporarily but she acts like she owns the place.’

‘What makes you think she’s just there temporarily. Has Neal said anything about that?’

‘It’s obvious! Neal has too much class to kick her out when she’s down. After she got attacked in that warehouse and broke her arm, he couldn’t very well send her to live on her own. Especially after she played the pregnancy card.’

Elizabeth sighed. ‘Moz, Sara didn’t play any card. It takes two to tango. And the last time I checked, Neal was on cloud nine about the baby.’

He scoffed, stood and began pacing again. ‘The woman is unstable. She loses her cool and demands things from Neal.’

‘What kind of things?’

‘Like… he makes her tea every morning and rubs her feet at night. It’s… it’s demeaning for someone like Neal.’

‘You think she’s making Neal do those things?’ El asked, trying to bring the hysteria down a notch.

‘She’s got him wrapped around her little finger and now she’s started crying at the drop of a hat.’

‘Moz, have you ever heard of pregnancy hormones?’

‘You mean that hoax perpetuated by women so their baby daddy does whatever they want?’

El’s hand rested on Mozzie’s as she tried to calm him down. 'Do you really think Neal is doing anything he doesn’t really want to do?’

Mozzie frowned, refusing to reply. He crossed his arms and let his bottom lip protrude like a petulant child.

‘You’re going to have to face it Moz. Neal and Sara are having a baby and whether or not they commit to living together long term, they’ll always be in each others’ lives.’

‘I don’t have to like it’ Mozzie spit out. ‘She’s taking him away from some very important… things we’re working on. All of a sudden, he’s too busy to… hang out and…’ he hesitated, unwilling to share any more. 

El’s eyes lit up. Maybe she could get some insight into Peter’s latest suspicions.

‘What kind of things?’ she asked.

Elizabeth might be a valued confidante but her allegiance would always be to the Suit. Mozzie pretended not to hear her question.

‘But noooooo. It’s always Sara, Sara, Sara… Whatever Sara wants, Sara gets. She’s turning him into some… lap dog. A man like Neal Caffrey has to be free to… live his life without constraints.’

He sounded like a twelve-year-old, upset that his best friend had begun to hang out with the cute girl in the class. 

‘Mozzie…’ El said, her voice calm. ‘Why don’t you try to see things from Sara’s point of view. Her whole life has been turned upside down and she’s probably scared about what lies ahead.’ 

Mozzie continued to pout.

‘Besides’ El added. ‘She makes Neal happy and that should make all of us happy. You’re just going to have to accept that Sara is in his life for good.’

WCWCWC

Neal sat on the edge of the bed and ran his hand over the wet facecloth. Off in the distance, he could hear the sound of Sara tossing her cookies in the bathroom. He stood and took a few steps towards the back of the apartment, only to change his mind and turn back to sit at the table.

Sara had made it abundantly clear that she didn’t want him hovering when she was being sick - which was pretty well every morning these days. Up until now, the morning sickness had pretty well been limited to… well, mornings. Being sick after dinner had never happened before. Neal fought the urge to call out to her but he bit his tongue - not that they could have any kind of meaningful conversation through the closed bathroom door.

He thought back to the few minutes he’d had alone with Joanne Cooper. He’d met Sara’s OB/GYN on a couple of occasions and with each visit, he liked her more. She displayed an uncanny combination of gravitas and offbeat humour and she’d put him at ease from the very first time he’d met her. While Sara got dressed following her examination, Dr. Cooper had ushered Neal into her office, eager to get the low down on how her patient was recovering from her recent attack.

‘She’s a trooper’ Neal said. ‘She doesn’t complain and except for needing a little help getting dressed, she’s been pretty self-sufficient.’

‘When does the cast come off?’

‘Next week. Tuesday’ he replied. ‘But she’ll need some physiotherapy.’

‘I’m more concerned about her ribs. They don’t seem to be healing as fast as I’d hoped’ the doctor commented.

‘Is it any wonder? She throws up every morning’ Neal replied. ‘I can tell it’s taking its toll on her.’

Joanne Cooper nodded in agreement. ‘It’ll take a little longer to heal if she keeps aggravating her injury like that.’

‘She doesn’t let me sit with her in the bathroom when she’s being sick’ Neal complained - a strange complaint to say the least.

‘Knowing Sara, does that really surprise you?’

‘I guess not’ he admitted sheepishly. ‘I just want to be there for her… you know, so she doesn’t feel alone. It’s the least I can do.’ 

She smiled that kind smile of hers. ‘Well, I’ve known Sara going on ten years. She’s the most determined young woman I’ve ever met. But she’s been through a lot and I do worry about her.’

Neal’s face grew dark. He worried about his girlfriend too.

‘How is she doing… emotionally?’

Neal shrugged. ‘It’s been a shock… for both of us. But we’re coming around. To be honest, I think I’m more excited about the baby than she is. But then again, I don’t have to put up with any of the discomfort.’

‘Well, I’m sure she’s happy to have you around. Is she still staying at your apartment?’

‘Of course, I wouldn’t want it any other way.’

His mind wandered to the earlier argument he’d overheard between Sara and Mozzie. A few months ago, he would have been happy to let it go, to let them figure things out for themselves. After all, the tension between the two of them was nothing new and they were both intelligent people, more than capable of speaking up for themselves.’

Dr. Cooper leaned in, sensing he had more to say. 

‘She’s… different now’ Neal blurted.

‘You mean besides the fact that she has a human being growing inside her body?’ Dr. Cooper said with a look of mischief.

Neal chuckled. ‘I mean… Sara and I have been together for a while. She can hold her own in pretty well any situation and she can defend herself no matter what. Used to be I could throw anything at her and she’d always have an answer and if I messed up she always called me on it.’

‘But?’

He sighed and glanced in the direction of the door, making sure Sara didn’t appear out of nowhere. She would absolutely hate knowing he was discussing her situation with her doctor behind her back.

‘Her behaviour is… unpredictable for lack of a better word. I find myself walking on eggshells around her, worrying about her mood changing at the drop of a hat. She’ll be her usual self - outspoken, sarcastic, funny… And then I’ll say something… insignificant and she’ll burst into tears. I’m just not used to seeing her like that.’

Neal leaned forward as if confiding a secret. ‘The other night… she started sobbing in the middle of sex. I… I didn’t know what to do. When I tried to… you know… pull back, she told me she was fine and to keep going. Talk about a buzzkill.’

Dr. Cooper’s hand appeared on his as she patted it kindly. ‘Oh Neal, I’m afraid you’re in for a lot more mood swings before this is all over. Besides what’s happening to Sara physically, she’s had to make a lot of adjustments recently. Her injuries for one thing and then moving into your apartment while she gets back on her feet. She’s always put all of her energy into her job and now all of a sudden, her body is dictating what she can and can’t do.’

Neal nodded but Dr. Cooper picked up on a look of worry in his eyes. ‘Try not to worry. Sara talks about you and the baby in loving terms. My sense is she’s so used to being in total control of her life and now all of a sudden, she’s not and she’s scared.’

Neal nodded and was about to ask for advice when the door to the doctor’s office opened and Sara appeared, looking mighty suspicious about what the two of them had been talking about.

Neal heard the toilet flush in the distance and snapped out of his reverie. He got to his feet, waiting for Sara to appear from the back of the apartment. When she did, the beautiful dress she’d been wearing looked rumpled, her face was red and puffy and her hair was mussed, hanging listlessly in her face. She had racoon eyes from having been kneeling in front of the toilet bowl for the past ten minutes.

‘Hey, how you doin’?’ he said softly, realizing what a stupid question that was.

She rolled her eyes and took the facecloth from his outstretched hand, grimacing.

‘I think it was the chillies… or maybe the nutmeg’ she moaned as she wiped her face. 

He walked over to the sink and got her a glass of water while she stood there, arms by her side looking like a lost little girl. Neal slipped his arm around her back and pulled her towards the table, urging her to settle in his lap. Without the slightest bit of coaxing, Sara curled up her legs against her chest and tucked her head into the crease of his neck.

‘No more Thai…’ she murmured as he chuckled.

‘Come on, let’s get you out of these clothes’ he said sweetly. ‘And then, if you want I can run you a nice hot bath.’

She nodded but didn’t move. He felt her start to relax in his arms and rested his lips on the top of her head, blessed silence all around them. 

‘It’s going to be okay baby’ he murmured lovingly.

In the distance, they heard thunderous footsteps coming up the staircase and without warning, the door to the apartment flew open as if the north wind had just blown in.

‘Neal! Guess what?’ Mozzie declared.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

On Wednesday morning, Peter called Diana into his office the minute she got in. He needed to bounce something off her and she was the most dependable (and objective) person on his team. Unlike Jones who tended to rush to judgement where Neal was concerned, Diana had genuine affection for the CI but had never completely bought into the Neal Caffrey mystique - being one of a handful of women on the planet who could resist his charms. To Neal’s utter chagrin.

‘What’s up boss?’ she asked as she placed a cup of coffee in front of him.

Peter kept one eye on the bullpen, making sure Neal hadn’t returned from his fool’s errand - a coffee run down to the fancy coffee shop a few doors down from the Federal Building.

He glanced down at the file on his desk and picked up a document, stared at it for moment and threw it down on the desk for Diana to examine. 

‘The robbery at the Brady Gallery…’ she said, her eyes scanning the report.

Peter nodded. ‘What do you remember about the first meeting we had after the case landed in our lap?’

She seemed puzzled. ‘Can you be more specific?’

‘When we talked about meeting with the curator, you offered to come along.’

‘Right. But Caffrey piped up and said he'd go with you. I was knee deep in the Miller case…’

Peter nodded sombrely. ‘Well, the curator was very forthcoming about the theft, a real chatterbox. He was bragging about an exhibit of modern sculpture they were about to host which included a couple of Gormleys.’

‘Is he that British guy who does those large outdoor pieces?’

‘Among other things. Two of his smaller sculptures were the centrepiece of the exhibit.’

‘Were?’

Peter held up a second document. ‘The gallery got hit again two nights ago. Someone walked away with both of them.’

Diana Berrigan knew her boss well enough to pick up on the slight change in intonation. She’d heard that tone of voice dozens of times before - especially since Neal Caffrey had landed on their doorstep. 

‘What? You think Caffrey had something to do with it?’

‘According to his anklet, he was a few blocks away having dinner with Sara.’

‘You think he ran out between the main course and dessert to rob the place?’ Diana asked with a smirk.

‘Probably not’ Peter replied. ‘But the curator gave us a comprehensive tour of the place - including an in-depth look at their security system. He even disarmed the alarm right in front of us. Neal looked particularly interested.’

Diana scoffed. ‘I don’t know boss… That sounds bold even for him. Besides, it seems to me he’s been on his best behaviour ever since Sara got pregnant.’

‘I agree but… you know Neal. He’s no choir boy, if he gets this kind of intel handed to him on a silver platter —’ 

Peter checked the bullpen again, noticing that Neal had returned with a tray of hot drinks which he was distributing to the crew in his usual magnanimous way. He glanced up in the direction of Peter’s office and lifted a cup, letting him know his special order had arrived.

Diana watched as Peter gave Neal a ‘just a minute’ sign before stepping in a little closer to her and keeping his voice down. 

‘I think Neal might have slipped the intel to an interested party.’

He poked around the file on his desk and came up with a black and white eight by ten. 

‘Here, have a look at what was picked up by the security camera.’

Diana took the photograph from Peter’s hand. It was blurry and grainy but certain details were nonetheless distinguishable. The culprit was a person who was vertically challenged - barely five foot six - and his face was obscured by a large brimmed hat that looked like something from Mad magazine’s Spy vs Spy. 

‘Remind you of anyone we know?’ Peter asked

Despite the lack of detail and clarity, Diana’s mind immediately went to the same place as Peter.

‘Mozzie?’ she asked spontaneously.

Peter shrugged. There was a knock on the door and Diana pulled the photograph up against her chest as Neal appeared in the doorway, holding a cup in his hands. He glanced down at Peter’s desk, noticing the cup of FBI drip sitting there.

‘Do you know I had to wait twenty minutes in line to get this for you?’ he said, visibly annoyed.

‘I got tired of waiting’ Peter replied with a shrug. 

Neal handed over the coffee and stood there expectantly. ‘So what’s going on? What are we talking about?’ he asked.

‘What? You didn’t get me a coffee?’ Diana asked with an exaggerated pout, eager to change the subject.

‘Already on your desk’ Neal replied with a wink and a smile. 

There wasn’t much more Peter and Diana could discuss with Neal standing there. She handed the documents back to Peter and headed down to get her caffeine fix.

The two men stood in silence for a minute staring at each other. There was obvious tension in the room as each one waited for the other to speak. Neal blinked first. 

‘What?’ he asked with one of his trademark smiles.

Peter decided it was worth baiting him, see if he might get a reaction. Sometimes, the element of surprise paid off. Even though the trust factor between them was pretty high these days, there were no guarantees when it came to Neal. He could be robbing you blind, all the while charming the pants off you - the two were not mutually exclusive.

‘There was another robbery at the Brady.’

Neal seemed genuinely surprised. ‘What…that modern sculpture exhibit the curator was telling us about?’ he asked.

‘Yeah’ Peter said as his CI gave him an eyebrow wag. 

‘Wow! Gutsy!’

Peter put on his special agent face and stared at Neal, determined to gauge his reaction.

‘Was it you?’

Neal’s smile disappeared instantly. He sighed loudly and shook his head, looking down at his shoes with a look of hurt and disappointment. 

‘You’re kidding’ he replied, his voice quiet. 

Peter watched as Neal turned on his heels and marched back down to his desk without looking back.

Deflection or honest disappointment? 

One thing was for sure, it wasn’t a denial.

WCWCWC

Sara was pleasantly surprised when she got the invitation to have lunch with Elizabeth Burke. El mentioned she was going to be near the Sterling Bosch offices for a client meeting and suggested they meet for lunch and catch up. The two women had grown increasingly fond of each other over the past few months and the fact that the Burkes had agreed to be godparents to the Ellis-Caffrey baby had brought the women even closer. 

By noon, the women were sitting face to face in a bustling restaurant in midtown staring at salads and sipping glasses of iced tea. El couldn’t help but notice that Sara was squirming in her chair, adjusting her form-fitting dress over her barely discernible baby bump. She was entering that awkward second trimester where she could still get away with wearing some of her regular clothes but would soon need to give her bulging tummy a little more breathing room if she wanted to be comfortable.

‘I think you and I are due for a shopping spree at one of those trendy maternity shops’ El teased.

‘You’re kidding!’ Sara scoffed. ‘I’m not going near one of those places until I absolutely have to.’

Elizabeth smiled and the deep lines on Sara’s forehead relaxed. She lowered her voice and leaned forward. ‘I did have to invest in a couple of larger size bras. I was spilling out of my other ones.’

El gave her an eyebrow wag. ‘I assume Neal’s not complaining.’

Sara chuckled and pushed her chest out, preening as El giggled. ‘Let’s just say I was never as well endowed as you are in that department. I guess there have to be some perks to walking around in a permanent state of hormonal flux.’

El couldn’t help noticing that Sara was picking at her salad listlessly and had yet to take a bite.

‘Still not much of an appetite, huh?’ she asked.

‘If I could just manage to keep food down, I might be inclined to eat more.’

‘Neal said you went out to dinner the other night.’

Sara grimaced at the recollection of those aromatic spices burning her throat. ‘Yeah, well it came right back up the minute we got home.’

‘Ewwww’ El groaned. 

The sound of Sara’s cast was heard hitting the edge of the table with a loud clunk. She grimaced.

‘I can’t wait ’til next week so I can get this damn thing off’ she commented, lifting her arm.

‘But you’re doing all right?’ El asked, concerned.

‘Ah, you know… ups and downs. I’m looking forward to the day I can keep my breakfast down and frankly, I’m a little out of my element staying at Neal’s place. Mozzie does not seem impressed. You know I never realized just how much time he spends over at Neal’s.’

‘They’ve been friends a long time. And Mozzie doesn’t have many friends.’

Sara nodded, her mind returning to Neal. ‘Well, I have to admit Neal has been a sweetheart since I moved in. To be honest, I’m not sure how I’d get dressed in the morning if he wasn’t there.’ 

Elizabeth smiled. ‘Whenever I talk to him, he goes on and on about the baby. I can’t believe how excited he is.’

‘Well, he’s been incredible. He mollycoddles me, which I could do without’ Sara said. 

She stopped for a brief instant. ‘Who am I kidding? It’s been nice having him around to take care of things… take care of me. He makes dinner every night, makes sure I’m eating properly, he rubs my feet at the end of the day and lately, he’s taken to singing to the baby before we go to sleep. Oh, and he’s reading everything he can get his hands on about pregnancy and childbirth… stuff I’d rather not know if you know what I mean.’

El smiled wistfully. She wasn’t surprised to hear just how involved Neal was with her pregnancy. Nobody could deny the kind heart that beat under that conman exterior. 

‘Now if I could just get him to stop referring to the baby as Boo-Boo.’

‘Oh no!’

‘I know… hopefully when we find out the sex of the baby, he’ll cease and desist.'

Sara reached over for her glass of water and accidentally hit it with her cast, watching in horror as the contents spilled out onto the checkered tablecloth.

‘Shit!’ she cried out as the waiter rushed over to assist in cleaning the mess.

‘Damn it, I hate this’ Sara said, her breath quickening.

El’s hand was on hers. ‘Hey, hey. It’s no big deal. It’s a glass of water’ she said, noticing Sara’s face growing tense.

There was a soft whimper followed by the appearance of tears in Sara’s eyes and the next thing El knew, the insurance investigator was on her feet, heading to the washroom as fast as her feet could carry her. For a moment, Elizabeth was tempted to follow suit and make sure she was all right but the one thing she knew about her new friend was that she was a very proud woman who hated being fussed over. 

So instead, she settled back and picked at her salad, glancing every few seconds in the direction Sara had disappeared moments before. It took a few minutes but Sara finally returned, looking perfectly composed and took her seat across from El. She resumed eating as if nothing had happened.

‘You okay?’ Elizabeth asked matter of factly, avoiding the fuss she knew Sara would absolutely hate.

Sara forced herself to smile, keeping her eyes down. They ate in silence for a moment or two until Sara put her fork down. She looked up, her cheeks bright red, her eyes filling up again.

‘I hate my body’ she murmured.

WCWCWC

Wednesday was cribbage day at Ellington Manor. Every Wednesday, Mozzie would leave whatever safe house he was presently staying at and would arrive at June’s at around one in the afternoon. Every Wednesday, June would pretend to be surprised by his arrival and every Wednesday, the twosome would make their way up to Neal’s apartment, crack open a bottle of red and settle in for an afternoon of fun and games. On warm, sunny days, he and June would sit outside on the terrace enjoying the fine weather while they did their best to outwit each other.

On this particular Wednesday in early September however, it was raining cats and dogs when Mozzie arrived. He found Neal’s landlady already upstairs, setting up the cribbage board while she awaited his arrival. She’d set out two wine glasses as well as two bottles of red, intent on leaving the final choice up to Mozzie. 

For as long as Neal had occupied the premises, Mozzie had felt free to come and go as he pleased and four years in, no one - not June, not Mozzie, not even Neal - ever thought twice about it. Mozzie made no secret of the fact that Neal had a much better wine collection than he did, something that was a definite attraction to dropping in whenever the mood hit for a fine glass of vino. 

When he stepped into the apartment however, it was something other than the Shiraz and the bottle of Zinfandel that caught Mozzie’s eye.

‘Ewwww!’ he cried out as he approached the table and stared at the undergarment that was hanging on the back of one of the kitchen chairs. He lifted it with the tip of his fingers and held it up with disdain.

‘See what I mean?’ he declared. ‘This is what I have to put up with these days.’

‘Mozzie, surely this isn’t the first time you’ve laid eyes on a ladies' brassiere’ June said with a grin. She blinked, staring at the fine lace. ‘I’ll give her that, Sara’s got excellent taste in lingerie.’

Mozzie took a few steps and threw the garment in the direction of Neal’s bed, watching as it bounced off and landed somewhere on the far side of the room.

‘You know, it used to be fun hanging out here’ he complained. ‘Neal would come home after his day working with the Suit, we’d share a glass or two of good wine, hang out, maybe get some dinner…’

June laughed. She’d been hearing the same old complaint from Mozzie for the past several weeks. 

‘Like it or not, things change Mozzie’ she said.

‘Well, I don’t want things to change. I like things exactly the way they were. Do you know Neal actually bailed on me the other day to take Sara to her ‘doctor’s appointment’’ he said with scorn, using air quotes. 

‘Now Mozzie’ June began using her motherly tone. ‘What’s wrong with a father-to-be accompanying his girlfriend to a prenatal appointment?’

Mozzie scowled - a familiar look these days. ‘What’s wrong is that there’s no need for things to change. These days, Sara’s always hanging around.’

‘Well, she is staying here’ June reminded him.

He shook his head as if rejecting her comment. ‘She’s always telling him what to do. It’s… it’s emasculating. And it’s painful to watch.’

‘I don’t see Neal complaining’ June countered. ‘Besides, they’re nesting, getting ready to have a baby.’

Mozzie continued pouting. ‘Anyway, I thought you didn’t like her.’

‘I didn’t… but she’s starting to grow on me. More importantly, I can see how happy she makes Neal.’

Mozzie rolled his eyes. ‘That’s what Mrs. Suit said. But what about me? Who’s going to make me happy?’

June chuckled. ‘Mozzie, you’re being silly. Neal’s entitled to have a life of his own.’

‘He did have a life. We had a life. Trying to keep the Suit on his toes, philosophysing about the state of the world, running little scams to keep us sharp. Now, that’s a life.’

‘I’m not sure Neal would agree. He’s trying to turn over a new leaf.’

Mozzie looked on, rather unimpressed.

‘You know when he came back from prison, Byron was still secretive about certain things but he promised me he’d settle down. The girls and I became his priority and he decided he’d had enough of the life. I think Sara’s unexpected pregnancy has changed Neal.’

‘Say it isn’t so!’ Mozzie shouted, arms raised above his head. 

‘What did you think would happen? That Neal would walk away from his pregnant girlfriend and leave her to fend for herself? That she would disappear and you wouldn’t hear from her again?’

Mozzie was having none of it. ‘You know, she’s only here because Neal didn’t have the heart to put her out on the street after she got roughed up. As soon as her cast comes off, he’ll send her on her way and things can go back to the way they were.’

‘Are you sure about that?’

Mozzie didn’t reply.

‘Because I get the sense that Neal is in this for the long run.’

Mozzie sighed, looking distraught. He grabbed for the deck of cards and began to shuffle them, placing them in his lap as he worked.

June eyed him up and down. She was wise to his tricks. 

‘Oh no, you don’t’ she warned. ‘Hands on the table buddy!’

WCWCWC 

In the short time it took Neal to do the dinner dishes, Sara had drifted off to sleep on the couch with the television blaring nearby. He chuckled at the sight of her sprawled out, snoring softly and reached for the remote, instantly plunging the apartment in comfortable silence. He walked over and covered her body with a blanket taking care to delicately place her cast comfortably on her stomach. 

God, she was beautiful, more beautiful than ever. The four pounds she’d gained over the past ten weeks had gone straight to her face, making her cheeks appear round and bright pink. Dr. Cooper had explained that the modest weight gain was right on target - surprising really, considering how little food she actually managed to ingest on any given day. But the baby needed nutrition and was growing right on schedule, hidden away under the surface. 

Neal slipped in next to her on the couch and managed to place her legs atop his own without waking her. Sara slunk deeper into the couch cushions with a soft moan.

‘You sleep Repo’ he murmured before patting her belly. ‘You too, Boo-Boo.’

He let his fingers linger on the cast. It would be a relief when that damn thing finally came off. It weighed a good two pounds, it was cumbersome and made sleeping challenging. He smiled as he thought of the creative ways they’d found of keeping their sex life alive - although he’d received a couple of good hits to the head since the blasted thing had been placed on her arm.

There was so much to look forward to over the next few months. Watching with wonder as Sara’s body continued to change, seeing her belly continue to expand, feeling the baby move for the first time, counting the days until he or she finally arrived in their lives. 

The irony of the situation was not lost on the father-to-be. He’d never given much more than a fleeting thought to the notion of fatherhood. A baby… a sweet little baby made by the two of them with love. Would it be a little girl - a little redhead perhaps - although he would likely never know his girlfriend’s natural shade of hair colour. It was certainly lighter than his dark, thick wavy curls. Or maybe a little boy with bright blue eyes and an inquisitive mind. The next five or six months stretched ahead and in that moment, it felt like her pregnancy couldn’t end soon enough. 

His mind turned to the exchange he’d had in Peter’s office earlier in the day. Why was it whenever something went missing anywhere in the northern hemisphere, Peter always assumed he had something to do with it? 

He’d been trying his best to stay focussed on work ever since the news of Sara’s pregnancy had dropped and thus far, he’d been managing to stay out of trouble. His newly developed restraint had put a definite strain on his relationship with Mozzie who’d been constantly on his case about taking some risks. Mozzie had never served time but for Neal, the risk of making a return visit to Sing Sing Hotel was all too real. He was under the microscope every single day with Peter and the other members of the team scrutinizing his every move. The decision to have the baby had been long and painful for the two of them and he’d made one promise to Sara: that he would be with her every step of the way - something that would be difficult to do from behind bars.

Peter… Things were always better between the two of them when they were being honest with each other - well, as honest as Neal dared to be. But he’d never outright lied to Peter and the two men had found a way to co-exist in harmony over the years, staying in that grey zone where Peter didn’t ask too many questions and Neal didn’t offer information that wasn’t absolutely necessary. 

He’d managed to avoid Peter for the rest of the day but now he was wondering if he shouldn’t confront him. After all, this was one of those rare occasions where he had absolutely nothing to hide and to be honest, he’d been annoyed and maybe just a little hurt by the conclusion Peter had come to. A decision that had been drawn all too prematurely as far as Neal was concerned. 

Something poked at his unconscious as he clued in to the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. He disentangled himself from Sara and made a run for the door, eager to keep whoever was out there from barging in and disturbing her slumber. 

When he opened the door, he found Mozzie standing there - as he did most evenings.

Neal stood in the doorway blocking his way, choosing instead to step out into the hallway outside the room.

‘What’s the matter?’ Mozzie asked as he came face to face with his best friend.

Neal placed his finger on his lips, urging the other man to keep his voice down. 

‘Sara fell asleep on the couch’ he whispered.

‘So?’

Neal rolled his eyes in response to Mozzie’s insensitivity. ‘So don’t wake her up.’

Mozzie frowned. ‘I thought we could hang out, maybe walk over to the Royal Oak and have a drink.’

‘Not tonight Moz.’

‘You said that last night and the night before.’

‘Sorry… I just… I don’t want to leave Sara on her own.’

Mozzie’s tone of voice was curt and snarky. ‘Why not? You afraid she’ll search your apartment and find some of our secrets.’

Neal gave him a pointed look of annoyance. ‘Could you maybe… make a little effort?’

‘Neal, ever since she’s moved in, it seems like you never have time for me anymore’ Mozzie said, throwing in a pout for good measure.

Neal sighed. Mozzie had a point. It seemed that ever since the day he’d discovered Sara’s beaten body in that warehouse, everything had changed. He looked at Mozzie’s face, that look of disappointment and longing for the way things used to be.

‘Look’ he said, his voice quiet. ‘Why don’t we get together tomorrow night? Maybe get a drink or hang out at one of your safe houses?’

Mozzie’s face brightened and Neal knew he’d said the right thing.

WCWCWC

The Burke residence was locked up tight for the night, the three occupants curled up together on the king size bed.

‘Off’ Peter shouted as Satchmo left El’s side to make room for his master.

El smoothed the blankets across her lap and looked over at her husband. ‘You really think that was Mozzie on the security camera?’

He sighed loudly. ‘I can’t tell for sure but Diana had the same gut reaction when I showed it to her.’

Elizabeth looked up at him and frowned. ‘You know I just can’t figure Mozzie out. He’s the sweetest, kindest person you could ever meet and I just can’t square that with some of the things he and Neal have done.’

Peter shook his head. 'Neal told me the other day that the con is a rush, an addiction.’

‘What are you saying? You don’t think Neal can change?’

Peter settled in under the blankets and opened his arms to his wife. She leaned in against his shoulder.

‘I don’t know El. I want to believe but… he is the most exasperating person I’ve ever met.’

‘What did he say when you asked him?’

He rested his lips on the top of her head. ‘He didn’t deny it.’

‘That doesn’t mean anything. He could be genuinely disappointed that you don’t believe in him.’

‘El, if Mozzie’s involved, it’s a sure bet Neal is involved. Those two are joined at the hip and besides, what are the odds Mozzie hit the gallery Neal and I visited just a couple of weeks ago. The same gallery where the curator telegraphed the security codes and gave us details about the exhibit that was coming up.’

‘I just… I don’t want to believe Neal would do such a thing with everything that’s happening. He’s been so focussed on Sara and the baby. I can’t see him jeopardizing his future… not now.’

The room grew quiet and Satchmo let out a loud yawn as he let himself fall at El’s feet.

‘Maybe Neal doesn’t know’ she said. ‘Could Mozzie have done something like this on his own?’

Peter shook his head in denial. ‘Didn’t you say you saw Mozzie yesterday?’

Elizabeth nodded and grinned. ‘He came over to moan and groan about how Sara living at Neal’s is cramping his style.’

‘Did he say anything at all about… any of this?’

‘Honey, Mozzie and I talk about a lot of things but he’s not about to confess to some theft he knows damn well you’re going to be investigating.’

Her mind wandered. ‘You know he brought me flowers…’ she added wistfully.

‘Ah, that’s where those came from’ Peter said. He took a breath and then continued. ‘Did you check them for a bug?’

She slapped him playfully on the chest but Peter made a mental note to check for himself in the morning. He wouldn’t put anything past Mozzie - or Neal for that matter.

‘I had lunch with Sara today’ El said as Peter yawned. ‘She’s still struggling with morning sickness.’

‘Neal’s been looking tired lately’ he admitted. ‘Maybe a little worried. He says Sara isn’t eating much and that her behaviour’s become… strange.’

‘Is that Neal’s word or yours?’ 

‘I think he said volatile. He says she cries at stupid things and feels embarrassed that she can’t keep her emotions in check.’

‘Oh honey, that’s just the pregnancy hormones. She kind of fell apart at lunch. I felt so bad for her. She accidentally knocked over her glass of water and she ran out and hid in the bathroom to compose herself.’

‘That doesn’t sound like Sara’ Peter sighed. But then again, he knew nothing about pregnancy and hormones.

‘Well, I didn’t have the heart to give Neal shit for going over the two hours I’d given him outside his radius the other night. He said he wanted to cheer her up and take her out to dinner after her doctor’s appointment.’

A thought seemed to occur to Elizabeth. ‘Didn’t you say that was the night of the robbery?’

‘Yeah, the night before last’ Peter said as he reached over to turn off the bedside lamp.

‘Well, doesn’t that prove he didn’t do it?’ El said, grasping at straws.

‘Maybe he didn’t carry out the actual theft himself but that doesn’t mean he’s not involved. I’d bet the house on it… he knows something El. I’m sure of it’ Peter said, his voice quiet.

He turned to face his wife and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. 

‘Damn it! When is he ever going to learn to stop making stupid decisions?’

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Sara was usually the first one up on weekday mornings - especially now that she had to allow for an extra ten minutes for her little tête-à-tête with the porcelain god. Most mornings, she would wake to Neal’s warm body pressed up against her back, his hand caressing her baby bump and their legs tangled together in the sheets. If her stomach hadn’t already started its revolt, she would lie there for a moment, enjoying the warm sensation of Neal’s skin against hers, the feel of his breath on her neck, the murmur of his soft snore.

The morning sickness would hit sometime in the next thirty minutes or so, between the moment her feet hit the floor and the time she stepped out of the shower. Sometimes, if she could feel it building, she would sit on the toilet and wait for it to hit so she wouldn’t have to interrupt her shower halfway through. Other days, the mere jostling caused by her short trek to the bathroom was enough for her stomach to start doing pirouettes and she would run the last few steps to make it to the toilet before it was too late.

There was one part of the daily routine, however, that never fluctuated. When she finally stepped out of the bathroom, Neal was always waiting with a cup of tea and a wet facecloth. He would insist on wiping her face and then he’d kiss the top of her head and try to coax her into having a couple of sips of tea.

Sara hated the humiliation of having her sexy boyfriend within earshot as she heaved in the next room. As a matter of fact, the two of them had been arguing about how to handle the odd little ritual for weeks. Neal wanted to follow her into the bathroom and sit beside her while she was sick, rubbing her back and doing the empathy thing. Sara, however, did _not_. It was bad enough he could hear her tossing her cookies through the door, an indignity that couldn’t be avoided, but having her boyfriend watch her retch violently was one humiliation too many, one she was determined to avoid.

When she woke on Thursday morning, her back was oddly cool and she reached blindly behind her, searching for Neal’s warmth but finding nothing but empty sheets. She turned in bed, facing the middle of the apartment and spotted him sitting at the kitchen table, his back to her, sipping a cup of coffee in silence.

She took stock of herself. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt and nothing else. Her mind went into overdrive as she attempted to recall the details of the previous night. She remembered forcing down a few bites of the quiche Neal had prepared for dinner, then kicking off her shoes and curling up on the couch to catch the news while Neal cleared up the dishes. After that… nothing except a blurred recollection of him carrying her to bed and helping her out of her clothes as she drifted in and out of sleep.

Despite the soft rustling of sheets on the bed, Neal continued to stare ahead, his mind miles away. He startled as Sara placed her hand on his shoulder and placed a kiss on the top of his head.

‘What are you doing up so early?’ she asked, her voice rough.

His reply was to reach out and pull her onto his lap. He curled his arms around her and buried his head in the crook of her neck. Seeking warmth or solace, she wasn’t sure.

‘Couldn’t sleep’ he murmured, his voice muffled.

She pulled away from him to get a better look at his face. She could see those deep pesky lines forming on his forehead, the ones he always got whenever he was trying to solve a big case at work - or whenever he and Mozzie were puzzling over some difficult… challenge. She tucked her cast tightly against her chest and ran her good hand over his cheek, leaning in to kiss him and feeling his body start to relax under her touch.

‘Work?’

He shrugged. ‘Sort of… Peter’s got it in his head I was involved in a theft at the Brady Gallery.’

‘The one that happened a few weeks ago?’

‘No. Apparently the gallery got hit again a few nights ago and he asked me point blank if I had anything to do with it.’

‘I take it you didn’t’ Sara said.

He exhaled loudly. At least she wasn’t making any assumptions, unlike his handler who seemed all too eager to ascribe guilt.

He pulled her in tighter and sighed. ‘Why does Peter assume I’m involved anytime something goes wrong?’

She smiled lovingly and cocked her head to one side.

‘All right, all right. I admit it. Peter’s instincts are usually pretty good.’

‘But not this time?’

Neal’s face grew serious. ‘I promised you I’d be there for the baby. Do you really think I would do anything that would risk getting me locked up again?’

‘Did you ask him why?’

‘You mean why he thought I’d done it?’

She nodded, her hands running through his hair.

‘No… I just got pissed off and walked away. I could barely look him in the eye for the rest of the day.’

‘Maybe you should talk to him about it. Figure out what’s going on.’

‘I suppose…’ She had a point and frankly, he was not looking forward to another day at the office giving Peter the cold shoulder.

‘Oh shit!’ Sara cried out as she disentangled herself from Neal’s grasp hastily.

Her hand went to her mouth and he watched her get to her feet and sprint out of the room, the toilet calling her name.

WCWCWC

‘Well, good morning’ came June’s voice from the back of the house as Neal stepped off the staircase. ‘You’re bright and early this morning.’

He glanced in her direction. As always and despite the early hour, June looked impeccable. She was wearing a two piece suit with a pale pink mulberry silk blouse and she was cradling Bugsy in her arms as she so often did.

‘I was up. Thought I’d save Peter the trip upstairs.’

‘I heard Sara leave earlier. How is she feeling this morning?’

Neal smiled. It was nice to see June taking an interest in his girlfriend. She had never been much of a fan of either Peter’s or Sara’s but with time, she’d learned to accept that they were both important people in Neal’s life.

‘She’s still sick every morning’ he said with a shrug. ‘Her doctor says some women get morning sickness all the way into their second trimester. I just… I hate seeing her like that.’

‘She was telling me her cast is coming off next week.’

‘Thank God for that. It’s been rough on her.’

He could see June staring at him, examining his face, searching for a reaction.

‘Something you want to tell me?’ he asked, tugging on the rim of his hat.

‘It’s nice to see you happy, that’s all’ she said.

He glanced towards the front door, checking to see if Peter was there. No sign of him yet.

‘You know, I had no idea I would ever fall in love or that my life would ever include children.’

‘You mean besides Mozzie?’ June said with a playful grin.

Neal chuckled. ‘Speaking of which, has he said anything to you about… my new living arrangements.’

‘He misses spending time with you, I know that’ she said soberly. ‘I’m afraid Mozzie doesn’t cope very well with change.'

Neal settled on the arm of the couch and sighed. ‘You know, he means everything to me but he’s doing all he can to sabotage my relationship with Sara. You’d think I’m being unfaithful to him or something.’

June’s hand rested on his arm as she spoke. ‘Mozzie doesn’t have very many friends, people he can really count on. You’re his anchor Neal and I think he’s feeling lost since things have gotten serious between you and Sara.’

‘I love her June… she and the baby are the most important people in my life. I’ll always be there for Moz but he needs to understand that things… well, they can’t be like before.’

He paused and looked into June’s eyes. ‘What kind of man would I be if I got myself locked up and I wasn’t there for her —’

June gave him a loving smile. ‘You wouldn’t be the man we all know and love.'

There was a decisive knock at the door and both Neal and June turned just in time to see Peter stepping into the doorway.

‘Good morning’ the newcomer called out, avoiding Neal’s steely eyes. ‘You ready to go?’

Neal stood and prepared to follow Peter out the door. He stopped and turned to face June, leaning in to place a kiss on her cheek.

‘Thanks June’ he said quietly.

She held him back, forcing him to look at her. ‘Neal… there’s room in your heart for both of them.'

WCWCWC

The drive over to the Federal Plaza had been painfully quiet with Peter fiddling with the radio and limiting the conversation to small talk. Although Neal had been dying to confront Peter about his sudden suspicions, he chose instead to keep his replies short and curt, still smarting from his handler’s lack of faith in him. There was no talk of current cases, almost as if Peter was purposely keeping Neal out of the loop. Once at the office, it became obvious that was exactly what was happening. A pile of mortgage cases awaited Neal on his desk and when Peter convened the team to a meeting up in the conference room, the CI had been pointedly left out. 

From his desk down in the bullpen, Neal could see the whole team sitting around the conference room table. Files were passed around as was coffee and he cringed when he heard the sound of laughter echoing from afar. For reasons he couldn’t fathom, he’d become persona non grata, no longer worthy of being included in the team’s discussions. He scoffed and returned to one of his files, feeling his blood boiling.

When the meeting broke up half an hour later, he watched Diana and Jones return to their desks without even a glance in his direction. Moments later, when Peter waltzed by Neal’s desk on the way to the washroom, Neal felt like he was about to explode.

Without making eye contact, he spoke. ‘How long are you going to keep me out of the loop for something I haven’t even done.’

‘I didn’t say you’d done it’ Peter replied as he slowed down and turned to face his CI.

Neal sighed and shook his head in anger. ‘That’s _exactly_ what you said Peter.’

‘No, it’s not!’ Peter replied, indignant. ‘You know, for a guy who weighs every single word that comes out of his mouth, you don’t listen very well.’

Neal grew even angrier and stared daggers at his boss but Peter remained calm. ‘I didn’t _say_ you did it, I _asked_ if you did it.’

‘A distinction without a difference’ Neal muttered under his breath.

‘That’s not true Neal. I had my reasons for asking in the first place.’

‘Care to share those reasons with me?’ Neal griped.

Peter glanced up in the direction of his office. ‘Come with me’ he said.

WCWCWC

Whether it was due to hormones or simply having to function with a two-pound plaster cast weighing her down, Sara had noticed that lately she had become downright clumsy. And now she had to add her brand new Veronica Beard chiffon blouse to the list of casualties of her recently acquired ineptitude. Spilling coffee on the expensive blouse had not been on the agenda when she’d slipped it on that morning, eager to impress her newest client.Her boss had entrusted her with the new account and she’d been madly making notes to prepare for the meeting when the coffee cup she’d been holding with her less than fully functional left hand had slipped, leaving a big ugly stain on the gorgeous hunter green silk blouse. She checked her watch and decided she had just enough time before her two o’clock meeting to catch a cab back to Neal’s place and change into something a little less… stained.

She rode a cab over to Riverside Drive, grousing under her breath about the mid-day traffic and keeping a careful eye on the gold watch Neal had given her as a ‘you’re going to be a mommy’ gift. Once there, she climbed up to the third floor, bursting through the door slightly out of breath as she finished ripping the blouse off her body. Her eyes immediately focussed on the wardrobe next to the bed and she made her way over, kicking off her shoes and throwing the dirty garment on the bed.

Her options were fairly limited unless she changed her skirt as well so she proceeded to throw a couple of her best tops on the bed. There was a red silk blouse which just wouldn’t do with the brown skirt she was wearing and that off-white Donna Karan number she loved that was beginning to fell a little snug around her midsection.

With limited options to choose from, it would just have to do - as long as she switched up her black bra for the new flesh coloured one she’d recently purchased to help contain her blossoming cleavage. She was standing naked from the waist up when she heard the sound of footsteps nearby.

‘June?’ she called out as the door to the back room of the apartment opened.

‘Jesus Christ Mozzie!’ she screamed as she reached for something to cover her naked bosom.

‘What are _you_ doing here in the middle of the day?’ he cried out, looking just as surprised as she was.

‘What am _I_ doing here? What the hell are _you_ doing here?’ she replied with more than a tinge of indignation.

He stood there, his mouth agape, taking in her state of undress.

Sara recovered and with one hand still clutching her stained blouse against her chest, she resumed her search for the right undergarment - one that wouldn’t be visible through the pale blouse she’d settled on.

‘For your information —not that it’s any of your business — I spilled some coffee on my blouse and now I need to find a bra that…’ she stopped suddenly. ‘Why the hell am I telling you all this?’

Mozzie took a few steps closer and Sara barked at him. ‘Would you please turn your back. This isn’t some… peep show.’

She grumbled as she continued to frantically search through her underwear drawer.

‘Is it beige with lace flowers along the top edge?’ Mozzie asked.

‘What?’

‘The bra you’re looking for. Is it beige with lace flowers along the top edge?’

‘How do you know anything about my lingerie? Do you go through my underwear drawer while I’m at work?’ 

‘No!’ Mozzie shouted back with indignation. ‘You left it hanging on the back of one of the kitchen chairs for everyone to see.’

Sara stared, daggers in her eyes. ‘Everyone?’ she repeated with that air of arrogance she was so famous for. ‘The last time I checked this was _Neal’s_ place - not yours. And I’m the one who lives here, not you.’

Anger flared in Mozzie’s eyes. Sara kept talking as she finished emptying the first drawer and started on another.

‘Where I decide to leave my undies is none of your goddamn business Mozzie.’

‘It’s very bad taste to keep undergarments out in the open where everyone can see them’ Mozzie continued arguing. ‘Besides, for your information, I threw it somewhere over there.’

Sara’s face flushed with outrage. ‘You _threw_ it? That thing cost me ninety-five bucks you… you stupid little man.’

She got down on all fours and began to poke around, reaching under the bed. She located it, tucked away in a corner by the head of the bed and held it up, examining it carefully for any damage.

She shot a look of total exasperation in Mozzie’s direction. ‘When are you going to accept that I’m staying here? You’re like an albatross around Neal's neck! Just, get over it Mozzie. I got knocked up and Neal is the one who knocked me up. And I’m not going anywhere!’

There was a flash of anger in Mozzie’s eyes accompanied by a hint of hurt at her comment but he remained determined to stay on the attack.

‘Well, I wouldn’t get too comfortable if I were you. It’s obvious Neal is just too gentlemanly to throw you out in your present… condition.’

Sara glared at him and pointed to her stomach. ‘This is not going away anytime soon.’

The volume continued to escalate. ’I meant _that_ ’ Mozzie said, pointing to her arm. ‘You watch, I’ll bet Neal asks you to pack your bags the minute you get that thing off your arm.’

The comment stung but Sara stayed focussed, fury getting the best of her. ‘You know, he only tolerates you around here because he feels sorry that you have no where else to go’ she countered, determined to wound him.

Mozzie’s round face grew taut and red, steam pouring out of his ears as the words seeped in.

‘Just for the record, I was here long before _you_ were, little miss Repo. And I’ll be here long after you’re gone.’

As if he’d lit a fuse, Sara reacted by totally losing her temper. She reached for the lamp on the nearby bedside table and menacingly raised it over her head. Her left arm fell away, the blouse that had been covering her body falling to the ground and leaving her standing there with her breasts fully exposed. But she was just too livid to care. She wound up for the throw just as the door to the apartment flew open to reveal June standing there.

‘What in heavens name is going on up here?’ she asked with a look of annoyance. ‘You two are going to wake the dead.’

Her eyes went from a crazed looking Sara standing topless by the bed and armed with a lamp in her hand back to Mozzie with his fist in the air and his face a shade of red she’d never seen before.

There was complete silence as the two antagonists stared each other down and seemed to simultaneously clue in that they’d both been way out of line. June didn’t say another word, just looked back and forth disapprovingly with an air of Mother Superior - just enough scorn to cool off the temperature in the room.

Her point made, she turned on her heels and stepped out the door followed a few seconds later by Mozzie who, feeling sufficiently chastised by June, slunk out with his tail between his legs.

Sara put the bedside lamp back in its place and reached for something to cover herself, shame and rage warring for control of her emotions. She let herself fall on the edge of the bed and promptly dissolved into tears.

WCWCWC

There was tension in the air once the two men sat face to face in Peter’s office. Neal was at a total loss as to what Peter thought he knew that might implicate him in the Brady Gallery theft.

For the past twenty-four hours, he’d been wracking his brain, making a mental list of all his recent sins - from deflections to omissions to little white lies. By his standards, he’d been practically angelic for the past couple of months - a real poster boy for criminal justice reform.

Sure, he’d fibbed about the exact time of Sara’s doctor’s appointment so he’d have time to go home and change… and he'd spent countless hours researching morning sickness on his office computer while he was supposed to be hard at work on the Dennison mortgage case… oh, and then there was the day last week when he’d tricked Jones into taking his shift in the van on the pretext that Sara wasn’t feeling well.

He continued reviewing his shortcomings while Peter rummaged through the pile of files on his desk. But all he could come up with were things Peter would never think twice about… a few exaggerations here and there, evasiveness when it came to certain details about his whereabouts — the stuff Peter had come to expect from his CI. And besides, those transgressions paled in comparison to… say, hiding a submarine full of valuable art or… breaking into your handler’s home while he was out.

He glanced up at Peter, who’d settled on one of the files and had opened it in front of him on his desk.

Neal grew impatient. ‘Just spit it out Peter. What is it exactly you think I did?’

As he’d done with Diana, Peter plucked out the photograph which had been captured by the security camera and placed it in front of Neal, watching as his eyes grew in surprise.

‘Anybody you know?’ Peter asked.

WCWCWC

_Three weeks earlier…_

_Mozzie emptied the dregs of the bottle of Shiraz into his glass while Neal sipped the last of the contents of his. They’d downed the full bottle in less than an hour and Neal was beginning to feel that warm fuzzy feeling as the alcohol worked its magic._

_He got to his feet and searched the kitchen cupboard, moving some glasses around and coming up with a large bottle of Courvoisier._

_‘You’re holding out on me’ Mozzie said as Neal placed two glasses before them. ‘I didn’t know you were hiding that there.’_

_‘That’s the point Moz’ Neal said with a naughty smile. ‘If I told you everything I’m hiding there wouldn’t be any booze left in this place.’_

_Soft music drifted in from the back room where Sara had been soaking in the tub for the past half-hour, no doubt reading while her skin turned to prunes._

_Neal poured a healthy dollop of the cognac in the two small glasses and handed one to Mozzie. He felt his head spin as he settled back in the chair._

_‘I think I better slow down’ he said, his voice slightly slurred. ‘Work day tomorrow.’_

_Mozzie shrugged. He had a pretty good tolerance when it came to spirits - better than Neal anyway. He lifted his glass in a salute and the men downed their first drink. Neal immediately refilled their glasses._

_‘You would not believe the goofball we met today’ he said, pushing back on his chair until he was teetering on the two back legs._

_‘Do tell’ Mozzie replied, leaning forward in his seat with a gleam in his eye._

_‘We got called into the Brady Gallery over on West 24th to investigate a theft they had there last night. Their exhibit of Inuit Art got completely cleaned out.’_

_‘Oh yeah?’ came Mozzie’s lazy reply._

_Neal giggled. ‘The guy’s trying to tell us their security is top of the line but you should see this place. The security camera hasn’t worked for months and their security system is an old F100 that’s probably been there since they opened twenty years ago.’_

_Mozzie chuckled. ‘Easy pickings’ he commented._

_Neal took another sip of his drink, feeling the warmth all the way down to his toes._

_‘You’re telling me’ he said. ‘And then, the guy takes Peter and me to the back to show us his ‘state of the art’ system. He starts to input the code and then he turns to us and says:_ ‘We’ve been using the address for the past ten years, that way the part-timers don’t forget the code when they close up.’

_‘What? He turned off the system right in front of you?’_

_Neal laughed. ‘I swear. The guy was clueless. So he starts telling us about this event they’re having in a couple of weeks, some collection of modern sculpture. Peter tells him they really need to upgrade their security but you could tell, his advice was falling on deaf ears.’_

_‘They make things way too easy for guys like us’ Mozzie said as he topped up his glass._

_The music faded in the distance then stopped completely as the two men made their way through a couple more drams of the excellent cognac. After a few minutes, they heard soft footfalls heading back in their direction and Neal’s attention shifted from Mozzie, preparing for Sara’s imminent appearance._

_He looked up as she stepped into the room, her flawless skin glowing, her red tresses piled up on top of her head. She wore a soft comfortable robe - a lot less high end than the stuff she used to wear when they were both still working on impressing each other. Now that they’d been living together for almost six weeks, they’d settled into an easygoing routine without artifice or pretence._

_She spotted the empty bottle of Shiraz lying on the table and the open bottle of cognac and gave Neal a playful smile._

_‘Wow, someone’s been busy while I was soaking in the tub’ she said as she picked up the empty bottle of wine and placed it on the kitchen counter._

_Neal’s eyes tracked her as she moved across the room, feeling a familiar stirring deep in the pit of stomach… or perhaps a little lower. No matter what she wore, she always looked amazing especially now that she had that pregnant glow. He gave her a warm, affectionate smile and kept leering, telegraphing his intentions._

_‘Feeling no pain Caffrey?’ she asked as she walked past him._

_He reached out and pulled her in to him, his inhibitions lowered by the amount of booze he’d ingested._

_‘Come here you’ he said, his voice rough as he grabbed for her wrist and pulled her closer. She stood before him and he buried his face in her bosom, moaning as Mozzie looked on and rolled his eyes._

_‘You two are impossible’ he said, getting to his feet. ‘You just can’t keep your hands off each other.’_

_Neal ignored him, his attention now totally focussed on Sara. His hands began to roam, cupping her buttocks as he moaned softly._

_‘Goodnight Mozzie’ Sara called out over her shoulder. The door slammed shut and she didn’t waste a moment, straddling Neal’s legs and letting herself drop into his lap._

_He gave her a drunken smile, his eyes drooping as he tugged insistently on the sash of her robe. He groaned with pleasure and shoved his face between her naked breasts, his head moving from side to side as the groan intensified._

_‘Have I told you how much I’m enjoying these new puppies?’ he asked, his voice slurred._

_She laughed and hooked her right arm around his neck, pulling him in tighter and enjoying the feel of his warm mouth against her bosom._

_‘Gently!’ she warned as he bit one of her sensitive nipples._

_He took another playful nip and let his tongue linger, his breathing growing uneven._

_‘Careful Caffrey’ she said, lifting her cast and waving it in front of his face. ‘Remember, I’m armed.’_

WCWCWC

Peter sat there expectantly, studying Neal’s face as he stared at the grainy photograph. Neal might lie without hesitation to others but not to Peter. And besides, after much practice, Peter could read Neal’s tells, the way he took just a second longer than necessary to respond, the satisfied smile that snuck up on his lips, the extra blink of his eyes as he prepared to deflect.

Neal kept staring at the picture of the man he thought he knew inside out. All Neal remembered from that night was that he’d fallen asleep with a huge smile on his face and that he’d woken up with a persistent headache. The exact details of his conversation with Mozzie, however, were proving to be a little fuzzy.

He’d been relaxed, tipsy to be sure but by no means drunk. Had he mentioned the name of the gallery as he and Mozzie had chatted mindlessly about the amusing incident? What about the code for the security system, he didn’t remember rhyming off any numbers. He knew for a fact he hadn’t mentioned the Gormleys - which were very popular pieces to fence - but he might have said something about the upcoming exhibit of modern sculpture, he couldn’t be sure.

He certainly wouldn’t have been on his guard; he hadn’t felt the need to weigh every single word as he’d been forced to do so often in the past with those who hadn’t fully earned his trust. When it came to Mozzie, the two men knew most of each other’s secrets and Neal had never - almost never - censored anything he said in Moz’s presence. 

More important than the details he may or may not have blurted out, Neal felt an unexpected sting, a betrayal that Mozzie might have acted unilaterally on some casual intel he’d inadvertently spilled after too much wine. As long as they’d been working together, Mozzie had rarely run a con by himself. Would he really go behind Neal’s back and pull something without even telling him, using confidential information and leaving Neal on the hook for the fallout? And if so, why?

Neal returned his gaze to the photograph, squinting as he examined every detail.

There was no way of knowing for sure if this was Mozzie…. Who was he kidding, this had Mozzie written all over it: the tilt of his head, the body type, the way he stood, that gaudy hat only a man like Mozzie would dare to wear.

‘So what do you think?’ Peter asked. 

Neal sighed loudly and shook his head in disbelief, obviously dumbstruck.

‘I… I can’t imagine Mozzie striking out on his own like this.’

Peter watched his CI’s face carefully, the look of confusion, the slack jaw as he searched for something to say, the way his eyes narrowed as he searched for an explanation. He’d become pretty astute at figuring Neal out - not that Neal didn’t continue to stump him from time to time. But working daily with someone over a period of time gave you some insight into what they were thinking and if Neal was pretending not to know about Mozzie’s involvement, he was doing a damn good job of it.

Peter knew that the best way to get the truth out of Neal was the direct route. Too often, he’d formulate his questions carefully so he wouldn’t have to hear the details of something his CI had been involved in - plausible deniability and all that. Knowing some of the things Neal had been up to put them both in jeopardy and it was often better to ask a carefully crafted question knowing full well Neal would sidestep the issue.

This, however, was not one of those times. If he asked a direct question, one of two things would happen. Neal would either dance around the subject, deflect, answer with a question of his own or simply shrug, leaving Peter to draw his own conclusion. 

Or he would look Peter straight in the eye and tell him the God’s honest truth.

But he wouldn’t outright lie. He never had.

‘Neal, look at me’ Peter said, his voice steady. ‘Did you know anything about this?’

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Sara was surprised to find her boyfriend hunkered down at the kitchen table with an almost empty bottle of red sitting in front of him. He didn’t often imbibe on weeknights - even less so since she’d gotten pregnant and wasn’t able to partake. 

She’d been struggling all afternoon with what to do about the Mozzie situation. Should she tell Neal what had transpired between the two of them? And if so, to what purpose? To force him to choose between her and Mozzie? To corner him into siding with her against his old friend? 

What good would it do to bring Neal into their little tiff and force him to play the role of judge and adjudicator between two people he loved. After all, she wasn’t some defenceless child or damsel in distress, far from it. She was certainly capable of standing up for herself against a man like Mozzie whose bark was so much worse than his bite. And besides, she was fully aware that it took two to tango and that Mozzie wasn’t solely to blame for the ugly scene they’d had. Their relationship had always been strained but since she’d gotten pregnant, the tension had grown to an all-time high. Perhaps the best they could hope for was to learn to tolerate each other. 

For Neal’s sake.

Regardless, the memory of their showdown had been weighing on her mind all day. She couldn’t quite believe some of the things that had come out of her mouth - or his for that matter. He’d been mean and spiteful but she’d said some pretty nasty things herself and knowing Mozzie’s insecurities, her zingers would certainly be lingering in his mind as well. 

Some of Mozzie’s taunts still resonated in her ears. Was it true? Had Neal insisting she move in with him been one of his ‘knight in shining armour’ moments? Would he be just as happy to have her move back to her apartment? And was she, as Mozzie had said, merely one of many stops on Neal’s life journey? She had no doubt he loved her and that he’d always be there for their baby but would they find themselves in five years, negotiating shared custody, having both moved on to new relationships while Mozzie continued to linger on the sidelines, a permanent fixture in Neal’s life?

She tried to imagine what might have happened if June hadn’t walked in on them when she did. Would she have thrown the damn lamp at Mozzie? At any other time, she would have had the self-control needed to hold back but she’d surprised herself at just how close she’d come to giving in to her impulses. Truth was, she was so over it. Mozzie had been acting like a jilted lover ever since she’d moved in and she’d had just about as much as she could take. 

‘Hey…’ came Neal’s voice as he looked up and saw the look of surprise on her face. 

She immediately noticed the slight slur in his voice and the unkempt way his hair was hanging in his eyes. He’d had a shower, his hair still wet as he sat there in a pair of old sweatpants and a wife-beater. 

‘Where were you?’ he asked.

‘What do you mean where was I? You’re supposed to be out with Mozzie so I worked late at the office and then I booked a last minute mani-pedi’ she replied, showing off her blood-red nails.

Neal nodded vacantly.

‘So, how come you’re not out with him?’ she asked again, removing her jacket and tossing it on the nearby couch.

Neal looked away. ‘Yeah… I decided not to go.’

Sara walked over to the fridge and opened in, foraging for something to eat.

‘I made you an avocado salad’ Neal murmured as she removed a milk carton in search of it.

‘Awww, that’s nice. I’m starved’ she replied.

She removed the large bowl from the fridge and brought out a couple of plates, placing everything on the kitchen table in front of him.

Neal looked up and shook his head. ‘Naw… I’m not hungry.’

She raised her perfectly plucked eyebrow and gave him a reproachful glare. 

‘Wouldn’t it be a good idea to get something in your stomach besides that Cabernet Sauvignon?’ she asked, pointing to the almost empty bottle.

He smiled at the realization that their usual roles were reversed. ‘I’m usually the one who’s trying to get you to eat.’ 

He sat back in his chair and watched her serve the salad onto the plates.

‘There’s a baguette over there’ he pointed in the direction of the kitchen counter.

‘So, what’s got you looking like someone let the air out of your tires?’ she asked as she went searching for the bread.

‘For one thing, you didn’t even kiss me hello’ he complained as he took a sip of wine.

Sara chuckled. ‘Oh, is that right?’

She set aside the baguette and walked over to the other side of the table where Neal was offering up his cheek. She obliged and watched his face brighten.

A plate of salad with a buttered piece of baguette appeared in front of him and he watched as Sara took away the bottle of wine and placed it out of his reach.

‘Now, enough of that until you get some of this food into your stomach’ she said.

He frowned and picked listlessly at his salad. 

‘You know the rules’ she said in a commanding voice. ‘At least six bites… or you don’t get any dessert.’

‘You’re going to be a kick ass mom’ he said with a smirk.

He put his fork down on the table and she stared him down.

‘All right’ he agreed reluctantly, taking a tentative bite. 

‘Is this about Peter and that theft at the Brady?’ she asked as she joined him at the table.

‘It was Moz’ Neal blurted out as he stood to retrieve the bottle of wine.

‘What was Moz?’

‘The gallery… it was him. They had their security camera fixed and they caught him breaking in.’ 

‘What? Are you sure?’

‘They probably wouldn’t be able to convict him on that blurry photograph alone but I’d know him anywhere.’

Sara sat there, her mouth hanging open.

‘I just don’t get it’ Neal continued as he refilled his glass of wine. ‘Mozzie’s not the type to carry out a job without bragging about it.’

‘But why?’

Neal shrugged. ‘But that’s not the worst part. He used me… Mozzie used me.’

‘What do you mean ‘used you’?’

‘Do you remember the night he was over here about three weeks ago? We were sitting here having a cognac when you came in from taking a bath?’

Sara frowned as she tried to conjure up the memory. Her face immediately relaxed as she recalled not the cognac or the fact that Mozzie had been there but rather the over the top romp in the sheets the two of them had engaged in once Moz had left.

She pointed towards the bed. ‘You mean the night…’

Neal nodded. ‘Well, that was the day Peter and I met with the manager of the Brady, right after the first theft… Just before you came in, I’d been telling Moz what an idiot the guy was, how their security system was shit, how their security cameras didn’t even work and I can’t remember but I must have said something about the alarm code.’

‘You’re saying Mozzie used the information you gave him to carry out the heist?’

Neal stared ahead vacantly.

‘That doesn’t sound like Mozzie’ Sara said, lines appearing on her forehead. ‘He tells you everything… he doesn’t even like going to the bathroom without telling you first.’

‘How could he?’ Neal said, his voice a combination of anger and disappointment. ‘How could he go behind my back and use the intel I gave him in confidence to break in? It puts me right in the middle of this whole mess… and he knows I’m trying to stay clean. Jesus… he conned me!’

Sara reached out her hand and placed it on top of his. ‘He didn’t con you… you guys are always sharing stuff like that.’

‘Yeah… because I trust him.’

‘I’m sure he didn’t plan on dragging you into anything. He probably just saw an opportunity and thought it was too good to pass up.'

Neal tsked. ‘He knew… he knew that if he got caught, Peter would be on my case about it. I swear to God, he’s like a toddler, needing my attention all the time.’

The phone in Neal’s pocket vibrated and he threw it on the table, ignoring it.

‘See what I mean… he’s been calling for the past hour. Probably wondering where I am’ he muttered.

Sara sighed, glad she hadn’t opened up about her little tiff with Mozzie. At the moment, Neal didn’t need any additional reasons to be mad at his old friend. 

His face grew sombre and he scoffed. ‘You don’t know how…’ he began, thinking better of it and stopping suddenly.

‘I don’t know what?’

He took her hand in his and squeezed it. ‘Don’t get me wrong. I love you and I want to do the right thing for you and the baby. I really, really want to.’

‘And you are Neal, you are.’

‘I told you, I will not have our baby starting out in life with his dad locked up.’

She opened her mouth to speak but he lifted his hand, silently asking her to let him finish.

‘But… it’s not easy Repo. It’s never easy. I’m trying so hard to do the right thing here. Mozzie’s always coming up with these crazy schemes of his and so far I’ve managed to resist. And now, he’s actually throwing me under the bus with the Bureau. He had to know that if he got caught, Peter would assume I was involved - or that I’d been the one to tell him all those details about the gallery.’

‘What did you tell Peter?’

‘The truth. That I had no idea Mozzie would do something like this without telling me about it.’

‘Did he believe you?’

Neal shrugged. ‘I don’t know… I think so. I must have looked totally shocked when he showed me the surveillance picture. Because I was.’

‘Then, it’ll be all right’ she said. ‘Peter will make sure you’re not dragged into this if you didn’t have anything to do with it.’

‘How can I trust Moz not to do something like this again?’

He got to his feet and began pacing. ‘How can I ever trust him, period?’

‘Neal, you and Mozzie have had tons of arguments before’ she reminded him. ‘Remember when he gave you that ultimatum to leave New York? He was so angry at you, he ended up leaving without telling you where he was going… but you two managed to work it out.’

Neal sighed. ‘Yeah but that was different. I hadn’t lied to him and gone behind his back. He was just mad I’d been stringing him along when I had no intention of leaving New York.’

‘Well, maybe in his warped mind, it’s like the treasure. Maybe he stole that stuff from the gallery for you…so he could share the profits with you.’ 

Neal’s voice grew louder. ‘I don’t want the goddamn profits! I’ve told him a dozen times I need to stay clean and this is what he does! What did he think would happen if he got caught? It’s an art crime for christ sake… of course it would eventually land on Peter’s desk and the first thing Peter would assume is that I’m somehow involved.’

His voice reverberated in the room and Sara got to her feet, intent on helping him calm down. Suddenly, she was in the unenviable position of defending the very man who’d been making her own life hell. It would have been easy to add to Neal’s indignation by telling him the horrible things Mozzie had said to her no later than that afternoon but she could see how much Neal was hurting. This was not the time for angry words of recrimination. Instead she reached out and touched his arm, locking eyes with him. 

‘Neal, Mozzie’s been your friend and partner for almost twenty years. He loves you… and you love him.’

‘I’m not so sure…’

‘Of course you do. You two have been there for each other when you had nobody else. You need to talk this through… try to find some common ground. Just… just tell him how you feel, how hurt and angry you are and then give him a chance to explain. Tell him… tell him you don’t want any part of it, how this could end with you back in prison. I know he doesn’t want that any more than you or I do.’

Neal shook his head vehemently. ‘I don’t know… I… I don’t want him messing around behind my back when… when it’s so hard for me to stay on track.’

‘Just be firm about what it is you need from him.’

Neal stared at her as he listened to the common sense argument she was making. 

‘Why are you taking his side anyway… it’s not like you and Moz are kindred spirits.’

Again, Sara bit her tongue. She’d never been angrier at Mozzie than she’d been earlier in the day. It would be so easy to tell Neal what had happened. But his relationship with Mozzie wasn’t about her. It was about the two of them and she refused to be the reason Neal parted ways with his oldest friend.

‘No… we’re not. But the two of you are. I love you and I want what’s best for you. If you don’t at least try to work things out with him, you’ll live to regret it.’

Neal’s eyes narrowed as she spoke.

‘You know you will’ she said, running her hand down his cheek.

She let her hand linger down his arm and began pulling him back towards the table.

‘Now come on, get some of this food down your throat, take the edge off that wine you’ve been drinking.’

Neal let out a loud exhale.

‘Come on’ she said, handing him his phone. ‘Call him… tell him you’re running late and you’ll be there soon.’

He took the phone from her hand and stared at it silently for a moment before punching in a short text.

She pushed his plate closer to him, coaxing him. ‘Now come on, five more bites.’ 

WCWCWC

Mozzie hung up without leaving a message this time. He signalled to the barkeep to bring over another shot of bourbon and remained sitting in one of the booths, brooding.

Neal not showing up could only mean one thing: Sara had gone running to her precious boyfriend to rat him out about some of the horrible things he’d said to her that afternoon. Neal had always had such a blind spot when it came to his girlfriends. And yet, over the years, as women came and went from Neal’s life, Mozzie remained steadfast by his side, supporting him through the many breakups and heartbreaks. 

Sara was just another blip on the radar he mused as he took a sip of his drink. She wouldn’t last… she was just like the others. Of course, there was the minor complication of her pregnancy. He wouldn’t put it past her to have engineered the whole damn thing and tricked him into knocking her up. 

He shook off the anger. He knew that not to be true. He’d been there when she’d first found out she was pregnant. Both Neal and Sara had been completely taken by surprise. Then, before he knew it, Neal had begun to warm to the idea and eventually had become thrilled at the prospect. He’d been the one to convince Sara not to terminate her pregnancy and after some painful and honest soul searching he’d committed to being by her side for the long run.

But still… women had always been Neal’s Achille’s heel, his downfall and it seemed Mozzie was always the one left to pick up the pieces whenever Neal’s heart got broken. It had taken months for Mozzie to bring Neal out of his funk after Kate died and every time Neal got involved with another woman, Mozzie would hold his breath and wait for the inevitable break-up, leaving Neal to brood and rebuild. Of course, Neal had always been able to put on a brave face for the rest of the world but Mozzie knew all too well how much he suffered every single time he got his heart broken. 

Mozzie thought about Sara’s words earlier that day. Was it true? Was he really an albatross around Neal’s neck? And did Neal merely tolerate him because he didn’t feel he had a choice? He had to admit his behaviour had been somewhat juvenile since Sara had moved in. He’d been feeling cheated out of what was rightfully his: Neal’s full attention.

He’d begun to regret going behind Neal’s back and carrying out that little heist at the Brady Gallery. He hadn’t fully thought things through before deciding to act on the information Neal had shared that night. A couple of days after Neal had given him the dirt on the less than stellar security system at the gallery, Mozzie had shared a drink with Rusty at a local bar where he’d learned that the fence had a buyer for Gormleys, any Gormleys. A coincidence he’d wondered at the time? Without giving it the necessary consideration, he’d immediately begun to plan the theft with the info Neal had given him.

Maybe he was showing off for Neal. That was entirely possible. Neal had done the same thing with Kate, trying to get her attention by pulling off elaborate thefts. At the time, Mozzie had thought the whole thing foolish on Neal’s part but now… Of course, now that the theft was behind him, Mozzie’s OCD had kicked in big time and he’d been left to wonder if he’d covered all his bases. An art theft would definitely attract the attention of the New York White Collar Division and if he’d slipped up in any way and had became compromised so would Neal. He shook off the doubts; he was reasonably sure he’d covered his tracks and that the theft could not be traced back to him.

He glanced out the window of the pub and sighed. Apparently, Neal wasn’t coming. It seemed clear now that the man had chosen to defend his baby mama’s honour rather than stand by his oldest friend. Fool that he was!

The phone in his pocket vibrated and Mozzie eagerly grabbed for it. He smiled as he saw Neal’s name on the screen.

‘Running a little late’ it read.

WCWCWC

The bar where he’d agreed to meet Moz was about eight blocks from June’s and Neal decided to take advantage of the warm September evening to walk over, hoping to calm down before he arrived. He replayed his conversation with Sara. The fact that Mozzie had snuck into the gallery and had gotten away with two valuable sculptures didn’t faze him; after all, they’d done this kind of thing dozens and dozens of times before. What did hurt was the sudden awareness that while he’d been sharing innocuous details about his day at work - something he did all the time - Mozzie had been busy making mental notes of the details, only to use the information for his own personal gain. But even worse than the lies was the betrayal. Mozzie had left him on the hook at a time when he knew damn well Neal was trying to stay out of trouble.

Sara’s words, so calm and measured continued to echo in Neal’s ears as he walked. Deep down, he knew she was right. The least he could do was to sit down face to face with Mozzie and hear him out. His friendship with his partner in crime, although fraught with ups and downs, had been the most stable relationship he’d had up until the moment he’d met Peter Burke.

He recalled how, days after his arrival in New York, he’d been wandering aimlessly through Manhattan when he’d happened onto that odd little man running his con in Madison Square Park. Looking innocent as he was apt to do, Neal had managed to con the guy and his partner out of five hundred bucks only to find the man, moments later, knocking on his door, ‘courting’ him, trying to convince him to join forces with him.

Of course, as was the case with every friendship, they’d had their moments. Mozzie had kept the secret of the swapped treasure from Neal - ostensibly for his own good. Neal, on the other hand, had kept things from Mozzie over the years, most notably lying about the manifest he’d found in Peter’s safe. But despite the temporary moments of deception, they’d always managed to find a way past the lies. 

Maybe they could do it again. 

His mind wandered back to Sara as he spotted the bar in the distance. Peter was right. She was good for him, keeping him focussed without making him feel like he was suffocating. She knew everything about his past - well, practically everything - and yet, she had agreed to spend the rest of her life tethered to him as they raised this baby together. He loved her and she loved him… more than he sometimes felt he deserved. It wasn’t easy to keep from getting caught up in Mozzie’s crazy schemes but seeing that look of devotion in her eyes, that burgeoning baby bump of hers… well, it just made it easier somehow. 

He exhaled loudly, preparing to face Mozzie. He could feel anger still bubbling deep in his gut and he swallowed it down, determined to hear what Mozzie had to say before coming to any conclusions. 

He arrived at the pub and stepped through the door, spotting Mozzie glancing eagerly in his direction. 

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Mozzie studied Neal’s demeanour as he stepped into the bar. He had his usual swagger amped up to the nth degree which, in Mozzie’s experience, meant his best friend was pumped and ready for a confrontation. 

Arguments between the two men had been rare over the years but what they lacked in frequency, they more than made up for in intensity. Mozzie recalled how livid he’d been the morning Neal had blurted out that he’d been hiding the U-boat manifest from him. It had been a betrayal of mammoth proportions equalled only by the realization that Neal had been playing him and had never had any intention of leaving the country with the treasure. 

Not that Mozzie was any more virtuous when it came to sneaking around. Neal had been plenty mad at him when he’d decided to put that Degas on the market against Neal’s direct order. Mozzie’s foolhardy decision had triggered an unfortunate series of events which had almost cost Neal his freedom. For good this time.

But no matter their past sins, they’d always found a way of putting their fractured relationship back together again. Luckily, neither man was particularly spiteful or malicious and although the lack of honesty had left their friendship on shaky ground at times, the feelings of betrayal had been short-lived and neither man had ever sought vengeance or retribution. 

If they’d been able to bounce back from such dire situations, surely Mozzie would be able to convince Neal that he hadn’t meant to browbeat Sara when she was at her most vulnerable. If it allowed the two men to heal the newly formed rift between them, Mozzie was more than willing to tone down the histrionics and try to make nice (or at least ‘nicer’) with Ms. Ellis. 

Once inside the drinking establishment, Neal slowed the pace as he walked past the bar, eyeing Mozzie sitting in a booth towards the back. He wasn’t sure how they would manage to fix things this time. Past disagreements had stemmed from misunderstandings and petty grievances but he felt that, this time, Mozzie had gone over the line by taking advantage of him and totally jeopardizing his chance at happiness.

Neal had made it abundantly clear to him on more than one occasion that the commitment he’d made to Sara and the baby was sacrosanct. For the first time in his life, he had a real shot at happiness - not the momentary excitement of planning a con or the fleeting thrill of holding some meaningless object in his hands but a chance at honest to goodness long lasting bliss. But if things went off the rails, the outcome could he devastating and, unlike Mozzie, Neal risked going back to prison for a long, long time. 

He stared at himself in the mirror behind the bar and ordered a beer. He barely recognized himself - his face was taut, his eyes slitted with rage, his fists clenched by his side. He took advantage of the time it took the bartender to serve him in order to calm his breathing before joining Mozzie. Sara was right. You didn’t throw away a decades old friendship without airing your differences openly and honestly. He glanced up and saw Mozzie waving, looking rather apprehensive - and with reason. 

With the beer tightly clenched in his fist, Neal closed the distance between himself and Mozzie and stood momentarily by the edge of the booth, scowling down at his buddy. There was no way to misconstrue how Neal was feeling; his steely blue eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched tightly and his forehead creased with dozens of tiny anger lines. He was royally pissed, there was no doubt about it.

Mozzie looked up, feeling small under Neal’s towering glare.

‘I get it… you’re angry’ he said meekly as Neal slipped into the booth across from him.

‘You bet I’m angry Moz. How could you go behind my back like that!’

Mozzie appeared confused by Neal’s declaration but as a firm believer in the old adage that the best defence was a good offence, he decided to throw himself on the mercy of the court by immediately coming clean about his recent misdeed. 

‘All right, I admit it’ he said with as much humility as a conman like himself could muster. ‘I shouldn’t have said those things. But… she pushes my buttons Neal.’

Neal frowned, wondering what the hell Mozzie was talking about.

On a roll, Mozzie continued. ‘I know we’re both responsible for what happened today and I don’t blame you one bit for being angry at me. I went way over the line and I shouldn’t have said the things I said but she said some horrible things too. She said I was an albatross around your neck…’ he added meekly, ‘… an albatross, Neal!’

Neal shook his head, trying to figure out what the hell Mozzie was talking about.

In for a penny, in for a pound, Mozzie continued with his rehearsed confession. ‘It’s true, I did tell her that you wanted her out of your apartment as soon as she got her cast off but Neal, she provoked me…’

Neal interrupted him. ‘What? What are you talking about?’

‘Sara…’ Mozzie said with a ‘what else would I be taking about’ eye roll. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘The theft at the Brady’ Neal said as his anger spiked. 

He let his voice drop, not wanting to attract the attention of those around them. ‘I saw the damn security footage Moz. I know it was you.’

Mozzie stared down at the table, unable to look Neal straight in the eye.

‘There’s… footage? But you told me their security cameras didn’t work…’

Neal’s anger continued to swell, his heart pumping to beat the band. ‘Well, apparently they had them repaired’ he said, his voice dripping with bitter sarcasm. 

Rage shot through his veins and he could feel his skin prickling. ‘Were you not in the room when I told you repeatedly that I couldn’t afford to get involved in anything shifty. Even if I walk a straight line for the next year, my kid will be seven months old by the time my sentence is up. Do you know what that feels like? This baby is coming into the world with a dad who’s a ward of the state and tethered to an electronic monitoring anklet. That’s bad enough… do you really think I want to be sitting behind bars when Sara goes into labour?’

It took a moment for Mozzie to grasp what Neal was talking about. Here he was, ready to confess to tormenting Sara when all this time, Neal had been angry about something else altogether - the theft at the Brady. Mozzie was sure he’d covered all his tracks - if there was any intel he could count on, it was certainly information he’d gotten from the great Neal Caffrey himself.

‘How did you find out?’

‘How do you think?’ Neal said snidely. 

‘The Suit?’

‘Peter had security footage in his hands hours after you broke in the other night.’

Mozzie looked away, feeling thoroughly embarrassed. 

‘And who do you think he immediately suspected?’ Neal continued, growing more agitated.

‘But you’re the one who said…’

‘I thought I was talking to my friend not some… some two bit hustler who was planning to take advantage of the fact that I’m a confidential informant for the FBI.’

Mozzie swallowed hard. ‘I… I didn’t mean to get you involved.’

Neal’s ire sprang to life. ‘Mozzie, Peter knows how things are between us. When he heard the gallery had been broken into after I’d been privy to all the details about their security system, where do you think his mind went?’

Mozzie’s face drooped. ‘I’m… sorry’ he muttered. ‘I was mad at you and I didn’t… think things through.'

Neal shook his head, irritation thrumming through his veins. He forced himself to take a sip of beer, just to slow himself down. He didn’t want to say things he’d live to regret. He glanced up at Mozzie who was having trouble keeping his eyes on him.

‘Look, I know things haven’t been easy for you since Sara moved in’ he said, his tone a little more conciliatory. ‘A lot has changed and all of us have to learn to adapt. But this isn’t about you Moz. It’s about Sara… and me… and more importantly our innocent little baby who deserves to have both his parents around when he comes into this world.’

Mozzie remained speechless, feeling thoroughly chastened. 

‘It’s true, I haven’t been around much lately. But Moz, I’m going to be a dad. That’s huge… You keep acting like this is all Sara’s fault, like she’s manipulating me, keeping you and me apart. But that’s not the way it is.’

‘I… I miss you Neal’ Mozzie admitted, somewhat embarrassed.

‘Do you want to know why I’m here?’

Mozzie shrugged. 

‘I had no intention of coming. I was so angry at you for dragging me into this mess with Peter. But then Sara came home and she started to tell me that the friendship you and I have is a once in a lifetime kind of thing. She’s the one who convinced me that I needed to hear you out.’

Mozzie eyes grew in surprise. After the way he’d treated her that afternoon, he couldn’t believe that, of all people, she would be the one to go to bat for him. 

‘She reminded me that our friendship is too important to walk away from without a fight. She said I’d live to regret it if I didn’t give you a chance.’

‘So… she didn’t tell you about what happened this afternoon?’

It was Neal’s turn to be confused. ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’

‘I was over at your place and she showed up to change her clothes and we… sort of got into it.’

‘Got into it?’

‘We… we both said things that were pretty nasty.’

Neal sighed loudly and sat back, thoroughly discouraged. He’d been watching the two of them go at it ever since Sara had come back into his life. He was the first to admit that Mozzie could be exasperating at the best of times. And Sara… she could be stubborn and pig-headed. But he loved them both and couldn’t imagine life without either one of them.

‘Mozzie, I need you to accept that Sara is in my life for the long run. Do you think you can do that? For me?’

‘But Neal, you’ve had tons of girlfriends before. Where are they?’

He had a point. ‘It’s true, I’ve had my share of… relationships’ he admitted. ‘But I love Sara and the two of us are going to be parents. She and I are end game Moz. I need you to accept that.’

Mozzie’s face melted into a pout. ‘And what about me? Where do I fit in?’

‘Moz… you fit in, you do. But not if you can’t accept my relationship with Sara. And not if you think I can pick up and leave on some caper at a moment’s notice. Sara and the baby are my main priority and from now on, that’s how it’s going to be.’

Mozzie’s pout deepened and Neal’s shoulders slumped in response.

‘Sometimes, I swear to God, I feel like Jesus in the temple, being pulled in different directions.’

Despite the tension, Mozzie chuckled. ‘Neal…’ he said. ‘You may be a lot of things but Jesus? Seriously?’

Neal joined in with a bitter laugh. ‘You know what I mean. I need you two to work this out. If you don’t, I’m going to have to choose between the two of you and you’re not going to like it.’

Mozzie looked away. He couldn’t deny that Neal’s words stung.

‘So what’s going to happen with the security footage?’ he asked, changing the subject.

Neal sighed. ‘We might have caught a break there. Peter mentioned in passing that there was no way that grainy shot of you could ever be used to convict you. Did you leave any prints behind?’

Mozzie looked back with a sneer. ‘Pleeeease!’ he said with indignation.

‘Well then, maybe I can get Peter to back off if —’

‘If what?’

‘Where are the Gormleys now?’

‘Awww, come on Neal, Rusty has a buyer for those. Big bucks.’

Neal glared at him. ‘Are you kidding?’

‘Okay, okay, fine. I can get them back.’ 

Neal leaned forward. ‘I think if they resurfaced say at the gallery or maybe at the Bureau…

‘You want me to take a hit and break in again to return the stuff?’ Mozzie asked, incensed. 

‘Or you could drop them off at some neutral spot’ Neal suggested. 

‘Like… June’s maybe?'

‘NO!’ Neal said adamantly. ‘It can’t be anywhere near me. Maybe somebody from Peter’s team or… the Burke house.’

Mozzie frowned.

‘You spend enough time there’ Neal reminded him.

Mozzie nodded, resigned to finding a way to atone for his mistake. 

‘Fine’ he growled. ‘I’ll make it work.’

Neal seemed to relax for the first time since he’d sat down.

‘So does that make us even?’ Mozzie asked, eager to put all this behind them.

Neal shuffled to the edge of the booth and slipped out, throwing a ten dollar bill on the table.

‘Not even close’ he said. ‘Find a way to fix things with Sara and we’ll talk about it.'

WCWCWC

The knock on the door was so quiet, Sara thought at first that she might have imagined it. Then came a second louder knock and Elizabeth’s voice coming from the other side of the door.

‘Sara?’ she called out.

She tiptoed over in her bare feet and opened the door, surprised to find the unexpected visitor standing there at nine o’clock on a weeknight. Another half-hour and she would have probably been sound asleep.

‘El! What are you doing here?’ she asked.

Elizabeth raised the basket she was holding in her hands. ‘I was doing some baking earlier and I accidentally doubled the recipe for my banana bread.’

Sara scoffed, not believing a word. ‘Does that kind of thing usually get you in the door?’ she asked with a grin.

‘All right, I admit it. I was worried about you and I thought I’d stop by.’

‘Worried about me? How did you even know Neal wasn’t here?’ Sara asked. 

‘Awww’ she added as a little light went on. ‘The infamous anklet.’

El shrugged. ‘You got me.’

Sara opened the door wide and invited Elizabeth to step in. ‘You know it’ll be nice when Peter doesn’t always know Neal’s exact whereabouts. I swear to God, sometimes when we’re in bed, I visualize Peter seeing us doing the nasty through his magic mirror.’

El chuckled. ‘Luckily, the monitoring system isn’t quite that sophisticated.’

‘Tea?’ Sara asked as El nodded. 

Elizabeth placed the basket on the table and took a seat, watching as Sara put the kettle on. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt - likely one of Neal’s - and a pair of skin tight yoga pants. El couldn’t help but smile. She was used to seeing Sara dressed to the nines and this casual look was a welcome departure. She watched with interest as the insurance investigator moved with ease throughout the apartment, locating everything needed to brew a pot of tea. 

‘I should have just told you the truth’ El said, her cheeks reddening. ‘I just wasn’t sure how you’d feel about me dropping by unannounced.’

‘So you’re telling me you actually made this banana bread just so you’d have an excuse to come over?’ 

‘Guilty as charged’ Elizabeth replied. 

‘Well, you never need an excuse to drop by but it just so happens I love banana bread’ Sara admitted, pushing aside the cloth napkin and peeking inside the basket.

’So where is Neal?’

Sara raised her eyebrows, suspicious that El might already know. 

‘All I know is that he’s about eight blocks from here but that’s the extent of it’ Mrs. Burke said.

Sara sighed. It made her sad every time she realized Neal didn’t enjoy the same freedom and privacy as everybody else but then again, he’d done the crime and it was only natural that he do the time. 

‘He’s out with Mozzie’ Sara said evasively.

But El picked up on something in her eyes. ‘Does this have anything to do with the break-in at the Brady Gallery?’

With a straight face, Sara looked over at her. ‘I have no idea. All I know is that they were having a drink.’ 

El got up and made her way over to the kitchen counter, taking a couple of mugs from Sara’s hand and placing them on the table nearby. 

‘How are things with you and Mozzie these days?’ she asked, pretending to just be making conversation.

‘All right… why do you ask?’

‘Because he was over at our place the other day whining about all the attention Neal gives you. I know it can’t be easy for you to always have him hanging around.’

Sara’s lower lip began to quiver as she recalled the ugly confrontation she and Mozzie had had earlier in the day. El spotted the telltale sign and brought her hand to rest on Sara’s back which was all it took to set off the waterworks.

‘Oh honey, what’s wrong?’ El asked, taking the younger woman in her arms.

Sara began to blubber as tears morphed into sobs. El dragged her over to the table and sat her down. 

‘Tell me’ she insisted as Sara continued to cry.

‘Things are just getting from bad to worse. Mozzie’s always hanging around, making me feel like I don’t belong here, like I’m intruding on him and Neal. He even told me Neal doesn’t want me here… that I’m some sort of pity project because of this’ Sara said, lifting her arm.

‘You know that’s not true’ El said, her arm resting around the other woman’s shoulder. ‘Mozzie’s just got this… weird possessive thing going on when it comes to Neal.’

‘And I said some pretty horrible things to him too. I totally lost it’ Sara admitted.

Elizabeth leaned in to listen as Sara began pouring her heart out. 

‘Mozzie’s his oldest friend. He didn’t have anybody else when he first came to New York. I don’t want to be the one to come between them.’

El could certainly relate; she knew Mozzie all too well. ‘Well, Mozzie’s not the easiest guy in the world to get along with and Neal knows that. Try not to let him get to you.’

Sara exhaled as she began to collect herself. 'You know it never used to bother me. Mozzie would zing me with one of his stupid one liners and I just zinged him right back. But lately, I just can’t seem to keep it together. I cry at the drop of hat and if there’s one thing I’ve learned over time it’s not to let Mozzie get inside my head or he’ll walk all over me.’

‘Well, just remember Neal loves you.’

Sara nodded as tears rolled down her cheek. 

‘I’ve seen him with you, how he coddles you, how he can’t keep his eyes and hands off you’ El said reassuringly. 

Sara wiped her eyes, calm returning following her little outburst. ‘He keeps saying he’s done with his old life. But Mozzie’s always hanging around, trying to talk him into some crazy scheme. It isn’t easy for him.’

She looked up at Elizabeth, her eyes glistening. ‘Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to change a thing about Neal. That look of mischief in his eyes, how he always keeps me guessing… I love that about him. And besides, I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to do the co-parenting thing with him. But he promised me he wouldn’t cross that line… that he would never land himself back in jail.' 

Elizabeth sighed loudly. ‘Maybe it’s time you and Mozzie had a little chat and laid down some ground rules. Just appeal to his better nature.’

Sara nodded. ‘I guess… I don’t want Neal to have to live without Mozzie in his life… believe it or not, I kinda like the guy, the crazy conspiracy theories, that sharp wit on his. Just maybe not so much of him, you know.’

WCWCWC

Neal pulled out his key and, as quietly as he could, he unlocked the door and stepped inside the silent apartment. Predictably, the room was dark and Sara was already in bed, curled up with her back to the door. She’d been doing that a lot lately, in bed by 10:00 with the lights out, getting plenty of rest so she could keep up the hectic pace of working full time while her out of control hormones dictated her every mood.

He undressed in the dark, taking the time to carefully hang his clothes on the back of a kitchen chair before making a detour to the bathroom and he headed over to bed to join her. He was feeling much calmer than when he’d left even though things were far from settled. He felt reasonably sure that, if the sculptures were returned, he could find a way to convince Peter to drop the investigation. As far as the ongoing battle between Sara and Mozzie, that would take a little longer to work out.

He slipped into bed behind her, settling in against her warm, pliant body. His arm snaked around her waist, feeling the hard piece of plaster tucked in against her body and he settled his hand on her baby bump. 

‘Hey you two’ he whispered in her ear.

Her breathing morphed from the soft repetitive sound of blissful sleep to a more uneven rhythm and he immediately knew she was awake despite her silence.

‘You asleep babe?’ he asked, testing the waters.

Apparently, she wasn’t up to talking but that didn’t mean he couldn’t share what was on his mind.

‘Everything’s going to be okay’ he murmured softly. ‘Mozzie and I will find a way to work things out.’

Silence again but he felt a faint hitch in her quiet breath.

‘He told me everything… about what happened with the two of you. How he said those terrible things to you. I’m sorry Repo… I know how he can be.’

The room remained deathly quiet with Neal’s voice barely a whisper. He squeezed her tight and placed a kiss on her shoulder. 

‘Every morning, I wake up and I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you and the baby lying next to me. Every time I look into your eyes, I can see the future and I can’t wait to share this amazing adventure with you.’

He grew quiet, recalling the painful discussion he’d just had with Mozzie.

‘I know it sounds crazy, but I feel bad for Mozzie. I think he’s envious of what we’ve got and he’s upset that he can’t have as much of my attention as he used to.’

‘But I told him that you and me… we’re a package deal now. We share a bond that we’ll never share with anybody else. Lately, I’ve been feeling like… like there’s a piece of me missing when I’m not with you. I never felt that way before.’

Sara remained still but a small smile appeared on her lips.

‘I’d understand it if you didn’t want to have Mozzie around anymore. And I’d learn to live with it. But the truth is… I’d miss him. He’s been a part of my life for so long and even though he can be annoying as all hell and he’s always trying to get me involved in some crazy ass scheme, I know he’s always got my back and I feel the same about him. It’s true… sometimes I need to remind him that there’s a line I can’t cross anymore. But I can do it… as long as you’re there next to me.’

He felt a lump in his throat and Sara heard his voice falter. ‘I love you Repo. That promise I made to you… that’s what I hold on to when I feel like I might stumble.’

He let his hand caress her belly and she stirred. ‘All I have to do is look at you, deep into your eyes or run my hand over your baby bump… I promise I won’t let you down.’

He couldn’t be one hundred percent sure she could hear him but he felt her body shiver and he thought he might have heard a quiet moan. He let out a deep contented sigh and buried his face in her hair.

‘Good night’ he murmured.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Except for the week she’d spent recuperating from a broken arm and bruised ribs, Sara Ellis could count on one hand the number of days she’d taken off work during the past two years. On Friday morning, she woke tired and listless, her mind still numb from the events of the previous day. The confrontation with Mozzie, coupled with her sky-rocketing levels of estrogen, were messing with her usually unflappable composure. She’d had a restless night and Neal suggested she take it easy, put her feet up and get an early start on the weekend. To his surprise, she readily agreed although she was already planning to do some report writing from home - not exactly what he’d had in mind. 

She lay back, staring up at the September sky through the skylight and listening to the predictable sounds of Neal getting ready for work. She heard the toilet flush, immediately followed by the clanging of pipes as he prepared to step into the shower. He was a creature of habit when it came to his morning routine, no more than eight minutes under the spray - except on weekends when, in a conscientious effort to conserve energy, they sometimes showered together, playing grown-up games until the heater began spewing uncomfortably cold water. 

A few minutes later, the pipes repeated their clatter and she imagined Neal going through the motions, reaching for one of June’s fluffy white towels, wrapping it around his waist and standing in front of the mirror to examine his face for any blemishes before reaching for his electric shaver. It was set permanently at exactly one point eight millimetres to achieve the trademark five o’clock shadow he favoured. God help the fool who toyed with his shaver! Sara had learned that the hard way when one morning, in an effort to test the theory, she’d changed the setting to a three to see if he would notice.

He’d noticed. And she hadn’t dared touch his razor ever since.

The room grew quiet and she heard Neal’s soft footfalls as he moved from the bathroom to the dressing room to make his choice of attire for the day. She stretched like a cat, enjoying the image she’d conjured up of her boyfriend standing in front of Byron’s large selection of vintage suits, naked from head to toe. To her relief, her usually unsettled tummy hadn’t yet begun to act up and she settled in, shoving her face in Neal’s pillow and inhaling his familiar scent. 

Moments later, when he stepped into the room, she pretended to be asleep then cracked open one eye to observe him as he reached for a pair of socks and a tie from the armoire by the bed. The bed dipped as he sat to put on his socks then she watched him fiddle with his extensive collection of ties, narrowing his choice down to two possible options.

‘I like the blue one better’ she murmured from under the blankets.

He turned, surprised by the sound of her voice. ‘Have you been watching me all this time?’

She shrugged and smiled mischievously. ‘Kinda hard not to’ she admitted.

He placed his hand on her forehead, caressing her tousled hair. ‘You know, you look awfully cozy under there. Maybe I should reconsider and call in sick myself.’

She stared up at him. He looked mighty fine.

‘Not that I wouldn’t welcome you back here under the covers’ she said, her voice sluggish. ‘But do you really think Peter would fall for that old excuse?’

He leaned in and kissed her softly. 

‘Probably not’ he whispered. ‘You rest today, okay? Take it easy. If you’re feeling up to it, I’ll take you out for a nice dinner tonight.’

She grimaced. ‘As long as it’s not Thai’ she groaned.

‘Whatever you want…’ Neal replied with a loving smile.

He peeked in under the covers and leaned down to kiss her barely perceptible bump where he planted a soft lingering kiss. ‘And you take good care of Momma Bear today little Boo-Boo’ he added, his voice suddenly tight with emotion. 

Sara covered up the lump in her throat with a groan and playfully pushed him away. 

‘Seriously Neal! You know how much I hate that nickname.’

He chuckled, amused by her reaction. ‘Well, if you come up with a better one, I’ll be glad to consider it’ he said, lacing the blue tie around his shirt collar.

‘At this point, even Mr. Potato Head would be better than…’

‘Boo-Boo?’ he repeated with a naughty smile.

She turned away in mock defiance and felt him reach around, pushing her hair out of the way so he could kiss her neck. She fought hard not to pull him back into bed.

‘Love you Repo’ he murmured, finally pulling away.

‘Have a good day Caffrey’ she said listlessly. ‘Don’t go getting into any trouble.’

Neal chuckled, eyes sparkling with mischief. She watched as he slipped on his shoes and got to his feet, moving to the full length mirror where he proceeded to give himself one last thorough appraisal. He straightened his tie and adjusted his pocket square, grinning widely as he admired his impeccable form. Sara lay there in silence, marvelling at the many faces of Neal Caffrey: suave, cocky ex-conman, loyal friend, attentive lover, witty sparring partner and loving father-to-be. 

Her eyes fluttered shut and she sighed as the door closed behind him. Sleep came easily and when Sara woke two hours later, it was to the sound of heavy footsteps and men’s voices right outside the apartment door. Damn it, she’d forgotten all about the workmen. She held her breath and waited for the ruckus to begin. Sure enough, moments later the sound of drilling and hammering drowned out the peaceful silence. 

So much for sleeping in. 

June, in her excitement at the baby’s imminent arrival had insisted on breaking down the wall separating Neal’s apartment from the large room on the other side. ‘A baby should have his own room’ she’d said. Neal and Sara had scoffed at the excessive expense at a time when they still hadn’t fully discussed living arrangements for the long term. Although she hadn’t come right out and said so, it was obvious June was hoping the young parents would stick around after the baby was born and she was doing her damn best to make any future decision to leave as difficult as possible. 

Sara groaned and turned in bed, the sudden movement causing her stomach to flutter and begin its oh so predictable morning flip-flop. She ran to the bathroom, narrowly missing her target as her stomach lurched. Half of the contents of her stomach landed on the floor by the toilet and she cursed, kneeling in front of the bowl to finish what she’d started.

This morning ritual couldn’t end soon enough. 

She proceeded to clean up, relieved that Neal wasn’t around to witness the mess. Once her head cleared, she jumped into the shower and slipped on some clothing that had neither zippers nor buttons, determined to spend the day in a state of total debauchery. A cup of tea later, she was ready to buckle down and do a little bit of work before lunchtime. She set up a make-shift work station at the kitchen table but found herself easily distracted outside the usual structure of her office at Sterling Bosch.

Even after six weeks, it was strange to find herself alone in Neal’s apartment. On occasion, he’d gone out to run errands while she stayed behind but it was still a novelty to be on her own amongst all of Neal’s possessions. She poked around the usual hiding places - behind the fake Picasso by the bed, in the hutch of the fireplace, in the kitchen drawers where Neal sometimes hid some sensitive ‘stuff’. She wasn’t looking for anything in particular nor did she find anything nefarious but it felt good to know that Neal trusted her to roam freely in his private space.

She wandered into the back room, where June kept Byron’s suits - a room Neal had adopted as his own. A couple of partially hidden shopping bags sat in the corner, bags with store names like Yoya and Piccolini. Nothing but the best for Neal Caffrey and the ones he loved. She poked around and chuckled at what she found: more unisex baby clothes and a gorgeous black and white mobile for the baby’s crib. Neal had been keeping his purchases from her, perhaps so he could surprise her — or more likely fearful she would chastise him for his excessive bingeing. 

She cringed, suddenly uneasy at the realization that he certainly couldn’t afford these lavish purchases on his modest CI stipend. She knew he still had some money stashed away here and there - and most likely some valuable acquisitions - a fact they’d never really discussed. She felt a tightness in her chest; no matter how good Neal’s intentions, she wasn’t sure how she felt about him procuring all these luxury items with proceeds from his past crimes.

She returned to the kitchen, her mind wandering back to the situation with Mozzie. She’d overheard Neal cooing in her ear the night before as she’d feigned being asleep. It was obvious he was torn between his commitment to her and the baby and his longstanding relationship with Mozzie - wondering if the two were mutually exclusive.

If she made enough of a fuss, Neal would probably walk away from his relationship with Mozzie. But no matter how annoying the man was, she just couldn’t bring herself to put Neal in the position of having to choose between them. Maybe Elizabeth was right. Maybe she and Mozzie needed to call a truce and sit down once and for all in order to find a way of making this threesome work for everyone involved. 

The pad of lined paper she’d set out on the table called to her but instead of getting started on her report writing, she began doodling as the loud banging in the room next door started up again. 

‘Walking in unannounced’ she jotted down mindlessly. She followed that up with ‘his immature putdowns whenever Neal’s not around’ and ‘those annoyingly obscure quotes.’

Before she knew it, she’d jotted down a dozen or so things that drove her crazy about the odd little man, fully cognizant that he must have his own little list where she was concerned. She reread some of the points - many of which were no more than annoying little habits of Mozzie’s that drove her nuts. Bargaining chips perhaps?

There was certainly no love lost between them. As a matter of fact, the only thing they had in common was their affection and devotion to Neal Caffrey. She’d often wondered how Neal put up with the man. He was obsessive, paranoid, demanding and he saw nothing but gloom and doom at every turn. Neal was the polar opposite, suave, confident - some might say overly so - optimistic and well-versed in the social graces. Even physically, they couldn’t possibly be more different. The old saying about opposites attracting sprang to mind. 

She tried to imagine eighteen-year-old Neal arriving in the big city, a young man with a unique and rather loose interpretation of crime and punishment. He’d had to learn to survive by himself, stretching the truth when it suited him and developing a rather unhealthy obsession for living life in the lap of luxury. Meeting Mozzie - the yin to his yang - had only intensified his desire to live the good life. The older man’s connections and crazy schemes, coupled with Neal’s silver tongue and multiple talents as a front man, combined to make them a winning team. Conning was a lonely life and trust and loyalty were rare commodities. It was only natural that the two men would bond and learn to have each other’s backs. 

Now that hers and Neal’s destinies were entwined for the foreseeable future, they would all have to find a way to make this work. She knew all too well that if she pushed Neal into walking away from Mozzie, she would also be pushing him away from her. There had to be some middle ground, some way of co-existing with a modicum of respect for each other - for Neal’s benefit. She picked up the pen and drew a line under the long list of grievances.

She wrote the word ‘SOLUTIONS’ in capital letters and underlined it three times. 

WCWCWC

Neal arrived at the office to find his name had magically disappeared from the naughty list and that he was once again welcome to join the team at their morning meeting. There was coffee on the conference room table, and muffins, compliments of Elizabeth Burke. All seemed right with the world once again. 

They had their usual round table discussion, everyone reporting on what they’d been working on. During his short hiatus as persona non grata, Neal had managed to solve a couple of mortgage fraud cases; all that was left was to collate the evidence and apply for warrants. He twirled on his chair in his usual arrogant style while he reported on the details. Peter listened, not saying much but seemingly pleased with the progress he’d made.

It felt good to be back in the loop, a trusted - as much as Neal Caffrey could ever be trusted - member of the team. He sipped his coffee and made the usual wise cracks that got Diana smiling and Jones scowling. He wasn’t quite sure where he stood with Peter although there had been no mention of his possible involvement in the break-in at the Brady for the past twenty-four hours. 

Mozzie had promised to make things right which meant that Neal was feeling fairly confident that he’d manage to walk away from this whole mess without any long term consequences. Once again. 

The meeting broke up shortly after ten and as they prepared to disperse, Neal hung back, hoping for a few minutes with Peter. 

‘Any news on the break-in at the Brady?’ he asked when the two men were finally alone.

Peter eyed him up and down. Everything about Neal’s demeanour since he’d shown him that fuzzy security footage screamed that his CI had known nothing about it. 

‘We don’t have enough to ID anyone with certainty. No prints at the scene… Maybe if the pieces surface on the black market, we’ll get a new lead.’

Neal sighed in relief, avoiding Peter’s gaze. Truth was he was still smarting from the unwarranted accusation although he was relieved that Mozzie wasn’t going to land himself in prison over this. 

Peter stared at him until Neal looked up. ‘Neal…’ he began, looking contrite. ‘I’m… I’m sorry I jumped to the conclusion that you were involved.’

Neal shrugged but Peter could tell he was still hurt by the false accusation. 

He placed his hand on Neal’s shoulder. ‘Some habits die hard buddy’ he said. ‘For both of us.’

Neal had to concede that Peter had a point. Considering just how close he and Mozzie were, it was reasonable that Peter would assume he’d been involved somehow, at least in the planning stages.

‘Why don’t you let me take you out to lunch, make things up to you?’

Neal felt himself beginning to thaw. ‘Indian?’ he asked, knowing full well that Peter’s idea of lunch tended towards less exotic fare. 

Peter smiled. ‘Sure’ he said as the cell phone in his pocket rang.

‘Hey honey, what’s up’ he said into the phone.

‘Peter…’ El said, her voice hesitant. ‘I think you’d better come home. There are two naked men sitting on our doorstep.’

WCWCWC

By lunchtime, the only thing Sara had managed to produce was a long list of Mozzie’s shortcomings and a bare bones list of possible solutions to their feud. She scratched out ‘Moving to Antartica’ and stared at the rest of the options which were few. 

The rumbling in her belly reminded her that she hadn’t had anything except for the cup of tea she’d had earlier that morning. She made her way to the fridge to check things out, noticing a covered plate with a note on top.

‘Eat this. Please’ it read, followed by a series of stylized hearts and kisses. 

She peeked underneath the foil wrap to find some tuna salad and an assortment of raw veggies alongside some grapes. The faint odour hit her nostrils and her stomach lurched in reaction. For a moment, she thought she might have to make another precipitous run to the porcelain bowl. She stood, feeling the room start to spin and held onto the edge of the table, ready to make a mad dash if required. The spinning subsided, but the uneasiness in the pit of her stomach persisted, settling a little lower in her belly, reminiscent of her monthly visit from Aunt Flo. 

She stuck the plate of food back in the fridge and headed over to the unmade bed, where she fell blissfully asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

WCWCWC

A group of agents and probies were gathered around Jones’ desk when Neal and Peter sauntered by on the way out of the office. Neal could see people digging into their pockets and purses and pulling out ten and twenty dollar bills and he flashed back to the three card monte Mozzie used to run all those years ago in George Washington Park. He glanced down at Jones’ desk. No cards in sight, just a pink and blue basket stuffed with bills. 

‘Put me down for a boy’ called out one of the women from the secretarial pool.

Diana sat nearby jotting down the bets on a sheet of paper as the bills piled up on Clinton’s desk. She handed the woman a hastily written receipt. 

Eager to partake, Neal reached into his pocket, pulling out his wallet.

‘Who’s having a baby?’ he asked looking around the room.

Diana glared at him and lifted the basket so he could get a better look. ‘Ellis-Caffrey baby’ it read. Perhaps ‘Ellis-Caffrey baby, stupid!’ would have been more à propos.

Peter chuckled.

‘Oh…’ Neal said before the frown on his face turned into a brash grin. It seemed he really was part of the gang. 

‘And you’re barred from placing a bet Caffrey’ Jones declared, leery of Neal’s slight of hand when it came to gaming.

‘What? You think I know the sex of my own baby?’ Neal uttered with a look of pure innocence in his eyes.

‘Wouldn’t put it past you Caffrey’ Diana said as she wrote out another receipt.

Peter tugged at Neal’s arm. 

‘Come on’ he urged. ‘You can argue about it later. We’ve got someplace to be, remember?’

Neal frowned and shook his head, thoroughly disappointed he was being excluded from making a little cash off his own offspring. 

He scoffed and followed Peter out to the elevator. 

WCWCWC 

It was starting to feel like groundhog day. When Sara woke an hour later, she was feeling worse than ever. The cramps which had settled deep in her belly had grown stronger and more insistent. She had a brief flashback to her twelve-year-old self sitting in Mrs. Finster’s grade six class next to her best friend Beth Johnson, realizing she had crossed that long awaited rite of passage every girl dreaded - her first period.

With panic in her eyes, Sara slipped her hand inside the loose fitting sweatpants and pressed her hand to her groin, relieved to find nothing as she pulled her hand away. Dr. Cooper had explained that cramping and spotting were not unusual even into the second trimester but Sara had no interest in finding that out for herself. 

She held her breath and dragged herself to the bathroom where, to her relief, she found nothing amiss and yet, the cramping persisted. Heat, that’s what she needed, a nice hot water bottle she could curl up with until the discomfort passed. She began a search of the bathroom beginning with the cupboard where Neal kept over the counter meds alongside towels and other bathroom essentials. But she came up empty. She spotted something sticking out the top of the tall cupboard, a soft-rubber-red something that looked suspiciously like what she’d been searching for.

Setting aside her growing apprehension, Sara tucked her cast tightly against her chest and climbed up on the edge of the bathtub grabbing the towel bar for support. Her right hand connected with the soft plastic and she sighed in relief. She looked down, preparing to step onto the safety of the bathroom floor when she felt a wave of nausea, the weight of the cast leaving her teetering on the edge of the porcelain tub. She clutched the bar tighter, feeling in snap off the wall as she lost her balance. 

Her heart skipped a beat as she felt herself slipping, landing on her backside with a thud. There was a moment of awareness before her cast flew back, hitting her in the forehead and plunging her down a big black hole.

WCWCWC

‘Well, I’ll be…’ Peter said as he continued his thorough examination. 

The two sculptures had been placed conspicuously at the very top of the steps as if standing guard over the front door of the house on DeKalb Street. Actually, one of them an amalgam of metal, depicted a man crouching down with his fist under his chin, reminiscent of ‘The Thinker’ while the other, a marble-like sculpture of a naked man stood at attention as he stared down at the ground.

Peter had seen photographs of the pair following the theft but he was still taken aback by the sheer size of the two sculptures.

Neal was doing his usual inspection of the pieces, his attention focussed on the artistry and the quality of workmanship. 

‘Never came across a Gormley before’ he mumbled as his hand caressed the smooth surface of the marble-like piece.

‘How did they even get these things up here?’ Peter murmured as he attempted to move the larger of the two sculptures. The thing had to weigh over three hundred pounds.

‘This one’s a lot lighter’ Neal commented as he easily moved the alloy piece.

‘And you didn’t hear anything?’ Peter asked his wife.

‘No’ she said, just as surprised as they were. ‘I was working at the dining room table most of the morning and then, Mozzie came over at around ten and we had a cup of tea. He didn’t say anything when he left.’

Neal nodded, suppressing a grin. True to his word, Mozzie had returned the merchandise - a genuine act of good faith.

A man strolled by the house with his dog and glanced up at the curious looking trio as they studied the gift that had been left for all to see.

Elizabeth waved. ‘Hi Mr. Peterson’ she called out, deciding it wasn’t worth trying to explain. 

He walked away, craning his neck as the dog tugged on its leash.

Peter looked over at Neal and shrugged. ‘Well, I guess that’s case closed for the theft at the Brady’ he commented.

Neal nodded, avoiding Peter’s gaze.

‘Now, how the hell are we going to get these things down from here.’

WCWCWC

Mozzie sat in the parlour with June, sipping on a martini as Frank Sinatra crooned on the nearby turntable. 

Life was rough…

‘So what are you going to do about it?’ she asked him.

He shrugged. Mozzie had lived a solitary life, keeping his emotional attachments to a bare minimum but the flip side was that he’d had the freedom to live his life his own way. 

‘I don’t know… but what I do know is that I want Neal in my life’ he stated without hesitation.

June lifted her martini glass and daintily took a sip. ‘Do you care enough to want what’s best for him?’

‘Of course I do’ he replied, sounding indignant.

‘As long as you don’t have to make any compromises…’ she stated bluntly.

The comment took Mozzie by surprise but he remained on the offensive. He lifted his finger in the air and she knew he was preparing to pontificate in order to rationalize his position.

‘Compromise is usually a sign of weakness or an admission of defeat’ he said with an air of authority.

‘Ah, Andrew Carnegie’ she replied, recognizing the quote. 

But June knew that for every quotation, there was another saying which expressed the opposite point of view, a quote just as accurate and artfully stated as the first. 

‘Learn the wisdom of compromise for it is better to bend a little than to break’ she countered without batting an eye.

‘I should know better than to try to have a quote-off with you’ he grumbled. 

‘Mozzie, are you prepared to watch Neal walk out of your life for good?’ she asked.

He remained silent.

She sighed and leaned forward. ‘Let me tell you something about having children. Sharing a child with someone is probably the most amazing, intimate thing that can happen to you. One day you see the glint in her eye - the same one you see in her mom’s gaze every time she smiles. Or you recognize the sound of his dad’s laughter and you realize he represents the best of both of you.’

Mozzie frowned as he listened.

‘Neal and Sara might not be together forever, they might never marry or live in the same house. They might even fall in love with other people and go on to have other children but the one thing that will never change is the bond between them when it comes to this baby. That will never change. As long as they live, they'll share the same selfless love for this child and only they will understand what that’s all about.’

The room remained quiet, the usually loquacious Mozzie uncharacteristically quiet.

‘Mozzie, your friendship with Neal might endure for the next fifty years. Or it might not. That’s up to the two of you. But no matter how long it lasts, it can never compare to the bond he has and will always have with Sara.’

Mozzie remained silent, taking in June’s words of wisdom.

‘Darling, don’t stand between the two of them. That is guaranteed to be a losing proposition. For everyone.’

‘So what am I supposed to do?’ Mozzie asked with a pout.

‘Find a way to give Sara her own space with Neal.’

She reached and touched his hand. ‘This isn’t a competition Mozzie but you can easily lose it all if you aren’t prepared to let Sara and this baby have a piece of Neal’s heart - the piece that you can never have.’

‘But —’ he began before stopping suddenly. 

She sat in silence, letting her words sink in. She’d said what she had to say. The rest was up to Mozzie. 

WCWCWC

The first thing Sara was aware of was when she came to was the soothing scent of lavender soap and the sensation that something wet was dripping down her cheek. She lay on the bathroom floor for a moment, trying to get her bearings. The bright red hot water bottle lay next to her and she turned to reach for it, feeling the persistent tightness in her belly and the throbbing in her head.

Panic gripped her as the cramping intensified. The muffled sound of the apartment door opening echoed in the distance. 

‘Neal!’ she called out, her voice desperate.

‘Sara?’ came another, all too familiar, voice.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Reality remained fluid as Sara drifted in and out of consciousness. What was she doing on the bathroom floor and why was her head throbbing to beat the band? She wiped her forehead with her right hand, coming away with a smear of fresh blood. She couldn’t even remember hitting her head on the floor.

The voice coming from the other room was heard once more.

Definitely Mozzie. 

‘Sara…’ he called out as he stopped to peek in Neal’s dressing room. ‘Where are you?' 

‘I’m in the bathroom!’ she called out, her voice shaky. 

He heard soft whimpers growing louder as he got closer. 

She called out again, sounding increasingly distraught. ‘Mozzie?’ 

He took a few long strides, arriving in the open doorway to the bathroom to find her on the floor, struggling to sit up. He noticed a bright red trickle running down her cheek. 

‘Mozzie…’ she cried in relief as he ran in. 

‘What the hell happened? And what are you doing home in the middle of the day?’

She ignored his questions, using her good arm to prop herself up. Her face was tightly drawn and pale and her hair hung in her face, sticking to the spot where blood had been leaking down her cheek.

‘Whoa, whoa, wait a minute!’ Mozzie said, getting down on his knees and holding her back.

Despite his usual inability to keep his cool in an emergency and his deathly fear of blood, he forced himself to examine her face so he could get a better read on the situation. Sara’s eyes stared back vacantly, her pupils so dilated you couldn’t venture a guess as to her eye colour if you tried. 

‘Don’t move’ Mozzie ordered with surprising confidence. ‘Let me take a look at you. What happened?’

‘I… I slipped off the edge of the tub’ she said, disoriented. 

‘What were you doing standing on the edge of the tub?’ he asked, not bothering to wait for her response. He pushed away a strand of hair and spotted a cut on her forehead. ‘It looks like you hit your head.’

She looked up at him, dazed. ‘I don’t… I don’t remember’ she murmured, her voice weak.

He sat down beside her on the floor and proceeded to remove the sticky strand of hair from her cheek while she continued to moan, holding her cast tightly against her stomach and rocking back and forth. 

‘What’s that all about?’ he asked, pointing to the unconscious movement. 

She stared out mindlessly. He could feel her trembling underneath his hands. 

‘Sara?’

When she looked up at him, he could see her eyes were wet. ‘I think something might be wrong with the baby’ she whimpered as tears spilled out onto her cheeks. 

He reached into his pocket for his phone. ‘That’s it, I’m calling an ambulance’ he said, his voice decisive. 

Sara continued to stare back and took in a long lungful of air. ‘No, no. Just call Neal. I’ll be fine.’ 

Mozzie pushed his glasses up on top of his shiny dome in order to get a better look at the phone’s dial pad and made an executive decision. Neal would never forgive him if he didn’t get her the help she needed ASAP. 

The room grew quiet, the soft sound of Sara whimpering the only sound as Mozzie spoke into the phone.

‘I have a lady here, she fell and hit her head’ he explained to whoever was on the other end of the line. 

‘My name? Why do you want my name?’ he asked, his paranoia on full display.

‘She’s pregnant…’ Sara heard him say, turning the conversation away from himself. 

At the sound of those words, panic began to set in for both of them, Sara terrified something might be wrong with the baby and Mozzie, feeling sorely ill-equipped to deal with an emergency such as this. 

‘How do I know how many weeks?’ he barked into the phone, his voice growing more frantic. ‘Do I look like an obstetrician to you?’

‘Almost twelve’ Sara croaked, her voice quiet. 

Mozzie forced himself to breathe. ‘Almost twelve’ he repeated.

‘No, of course I’m not the father. What is it with the twenty questions lady. Just… just get someone over here as soon as you can. She’s bleeding and she keeps holding onto her stomach.’

‘No… not that kind of bleeding… on her forehead.’

He spotted a smear of blood on her cast. ‘I think she might have hit it with her cast.’

‘What do you mean ‘what cast’? The one on her arm. Seriously, can you try to keep up? Just send somebody over.’

‘Oh…’ Sara heard him say. 

‘What? What is it’ she asked.

‘They’re already on their way’ he replied, his arm still snugly wrapped around her shoulder. 

Sara forced herself to slow down her breathing. Whatever was happening, it wouldn’t do the baby any good if she didn’t stay calm.

‘No, I will not stay on the line. I need to call her baby daddy’ Mozzie shouted into the phone.

Whoever was on the other end must have managed to convince him to stay on the line because Mozzie temporarily removed his arm from around Sara’s shoulder and, putting the first phone down, he reached into his pocket for a second one. 

‘Neal!’ he said as Neal’s answering machine came on. ‘Call me right away… something’s happened to Sara.’

He hung up and returned to the first phone, putting the call on speaker phone as his eyes returned to his patient. 

‘Here’ he said in a gentle voice Sara had never heard him use before. ‘Why don’t we slide you up against the wall.’

She took long stuttering breaths as calm slowly returned.

‘I think I can get up’ she said, her voice shaky.

‘Like hell you can. You just sit here’ he replied with authority. ‘I’ll get you a pillow.’

She took hold of his shirt collar and clutched it tightly. He stared back, surprised by her sheer strength. 

‘No! Don’t got Mozzie. Don’t leave me’ she pleaded.

The strong, determined woman he’d met a few years back seemed to have melted into a puddle of fear and anxiety. He had a brief flashback to the first time he’d laid eyes on her as he spied her leaving her townhouse on a warm summer morning. He’d been preparing to break into her place to recover the FAA envelope hidden inside. She’d headed up the street in her upscale neighbourhood with that look of aloof over-confidence he’d since come to know, teetering on those stiletto heels, clicking and clacking as she made her way down the sidewalk. He’d disliked her instantly, the presumptuous way she held up her head, the intensity in her gaze, the self-assured stride of her walk. 

He’d been horrified to find that, in no time at all, Neal had begun to look at the rough and tumble insurance investigator with those softening eyes of his, seeing past her abrupt, terse manner and increasingly focussing on her feminine wiles. Sadly, Neal was all too predictable when it came to women and it drove Mozzie crazy to see his best friend make mistake after mistake when it came to the female gender. As if his disastrous relationship with Kate hadn’t been enough to set him straight, Neal still couldn’t resist the allure of a beautiful woman. When Mozzie had walked in on the two of them at the city archives, making out like a couple of horny teenagers, he’d realized the attraction had been brewing for weeks and that the hook-up had been all but inevitable. 

So he’d decided to bide his time. 

This one would be like all the others, he’d told himself. There would be sparks, followed by an intense liaison and then, with no harm done, they would slowly drift apart until Neal’s next conquest came along. But to Mozzie’s surprise, Neal had appeared genuinely disappointed when Sara had called things off following her discovery of the stolen treasure and he’d been only mildly surprised when the two of them had reconnected following their return from Cape Verde. 

Damn Caffrey charm! That charisma combined with Neal’s irrepressible romanticism always got him into trouble with the ladies and Sara Ellis had been no exception. But this time, it had been different - he’d gone and knocked her up and ever since the realization he was going to be a dad, Neal had developed a serious case of puppy love. 

Mozzie had long ago decided she was not the right woman for him. Sure, she might colour outside the lines from time to time and flirt with danger and excitement but there were limits to what Sara Ellis would ever agree to. To Mozzie’s dismay, she’d begun leading Neal down the road to domesticity which Mozzie well knew was no place for a first-class conman like Neal Caffrey. 

Now, looking at her vacant eyes, there was none of that brashness and bitchiness he’d ascribed to her. She was simply a vulnerable mother-to-be terrified something was wrong with the baby she hadn’t even known she’d wanted. 

He suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility for her wellbeing and that of her unborn baby - Neal’s unborn baby. 

‘I’m not going to leave you’ he said, pulling her in tightly against his chest. He got a gentle whiff of lavender and realized he’d never been quite this close to Sara Ellis before. 

He felt her hand tug insistently at his shirt, searching for comfort as she continued to cry softly.

‘It’s okay Sara’ he murmured. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’

WCWCWC

Peter shrugged off his jacket and handed it over to his wife before rolling up his shirt sleeves. Neal followed suit. They’d called in the cavalry to come and collect the stolen pieces and had arranged for the curator of the Brady Gallery to meet them back at the Federal Building. In the meantime, they had decided it was best to lug the items at least as far as the Burkes’ foyer to keep them from attracting too much attention.

Despite his recent apology, Peter turned to stare at Neal, dead in the eyes. ‘Do you know anything about this?’

Neal frowned. ‘Why would I know anything about this? I’ve been with you all morning.’

It didn’t escape Peter’s astute sense of observation that, strictly speaking, Neal had not answered his question. His always suspicious mind began to formulate a hypothesis. If indeed Mozzie had been the culprit, it wasn’t much of a stretch to imagine that Neal might have talked him into minimizing the damage by returning the goods before the Feds collared him. 

Peter opened his mouth to speak but stopped, realizing he didn’t really want to know.

‘A little help here…’ Neal groaned as he positioned himself on one side of the larger statue.

Elizabeth held the door open as the two men struggled to move the large sculpture, tucking it up against the wall between the two sets of doors. Neal returned with the second piece and placed it beside it. 

The two men followed El into the kitchen. She was already putting on a pot of coffee.

‘It might take a few minutes for them to get here’ she commented. ‘You might as well relax in the meantime.’

Instantly, she pulled out a basket of muffins and set it down on the dining room table as the men settled in across from each other. Neal tugged down his sleeves, avoiding Peter’s eyes. If he decided to interrogate him, Neal would have no choice but to come clean. He was relieved to find Peter diving into the basket of pastries and taking a sip of coffee. The safest thing was to change the subject.

‘I convinced Sara to take the day off today’ he said, making mindless conversation.

‘What’s wrong?’ El asked.

‘Nothing, nothing just… she’s been tired lately and she didn’t sleep well last night.’

Elizabeth took a seat at the table next to them, settling in with her cup of coffee. 

‘This… thing with Mozzie’ she began as the men looked up at her. ‘I think it’s really weighing on both of them.’

Neal nodded and stared down at his cup in silence.

‘What thing?’ Peter asked, as usual clueless.

Neal shook his head. ‘It’s… it’s nothing’ he said in his usual evasive way.

Elizabeth looked over at her husband. ‘It’s not nothing. The two of them are practically at each other’s throats.’

Peter’s eyes moved to look at Neal who remained silent. 

‘Honey, you know how Mozzie is’ El continued. ‘And Sara’s been a lot more touchy lately.’

Neal thought of the recent arguments he’d overheard between the two of them as well as his painful conversation with Mozzie the night before. Suddenly, Elizabeth’s hand was on his.

‘They both love you, you know’ she said with a gentle squeeze. ‘But they’re going to have to clear the air and find a way to make peace with each other.’

Neal nodded knowingly. ‘I told Mozzie last night that he was going to have to accept that Sara and the baby are my priority from now on.’

Peter’s eyes narrowed. He wondered what else Neal might have discussed with Mozzie the night before. He let his gaze linger on his partner’s face, noticing those pesky lines appear between his eyes. He’d come a long way over the past few months. He was no longer the carefree ex-con trying to pull the wool over his handler’s eyes… well, he wasn’t just that. Lately, there was a more thoughtful, less impulsive side of Neal emerging. You could see the look in his eyes as he slowed to think things through, his mind now focussed on the impact his actions might have on Sara and the baby. 

The sound of a cell phone was heard and both men exchanged looks, wondering whose phone was ringing. They both reached for their suit jackets which had been discarded and Peter placed his silent phone on the table while Neal picked up, noticing he’d already missed a call from Mozzie.

‘Hey Moz, what’s up?’ he asked while El and Peter looked on.

‘What? What do you mean? What happened?’ he asked, getting to his feet in a flash.

‘Where are you?’ he asked, suddenly agitated. ‘Yeah, yeah, I’ll be right there.’

He threw on his jacket and was halfway to the door when he looked back. ‘Sara’s been taken to the hospital.’

WCWCWC

True to his word, Mozzie had stayed by Sara’s side up until the moment she’d been taken into one of the examination rooms at Mount Sinai. In light of her discombobulated state of mind, Mozzie had had to play grownup and had managed to remain calm and level-headed throughout the whole drama. By the time the EMTs had arrived at June’s, he’d put a temporary bandage on Sara’s forehead, had given her some water to sip on and, once satisfied she didn’t have any new broken bones, he’d moved her over to the couch to wait for the ambulance to arrive. With tears in her eyes, she’d pleaded with him to stay with her until Neal arrived and he’d agreed, forcing himself to keep his paranoia in check. 

Now that he’d gotten her safely to the hospital, he’d noticed his hands were shaking and as he sat in the waiting room, he fought the urge to run off and hide somewhere. With Sara off being examined, Mozzie’s eyes remained riveted on the doors to the busy ER room, eager to see Neal appear. 

An elderly man sitting next to him began to cough violently and Mozzie instinctively covered his mouth. Damn it, he was going to get the guy’s flu, that was for sure. On the other side of him a young woman held a screaming baby. Feeling trapped, he got to his feet and began to pace up and down, his breath growing shallow as the reality of what had just happened hit him. As far as he was concerned, Neal couldn’t get there fast enough. 

The walls had begun to close in on him when he spotted Neal get out of a cab and start jogging in his direction. 

‘Where is she?’ Neal called out in a panic as he searched Mozzie’s eyes.

‘They took her into one of the examination rooms’ Mozzie replied, following his best friend inside.

Neal’s voice was strangled as he spoke. ‘What happened? What did they say?’

The two men walked towards the triage nurse who was dealing with two other rather impatient patients.

Neal, no regard for convention, butted in with imploring eyes. ‘Sara Ellis… can you tell me what’s going on.’

The harried nurse gave him a dismissive look. ‘Sir, as soon as the doctors have checked her out, they’ll be out to talk to you.’

Mozzie’s hand rested on his buddy’s shoulder. 

‘Here, let’s sit down’ he urged as Neal resisted.

‘Come on, she’s going to be fine’ Mozzie added. ‘From what I can tell, she fell and hit herself in the forehead with her cast.’

Neal had been on the receiving end of that blasted cast a couple of times. ‘What do you mean, fell? What was she doing?’

‘I don’t know Neal, I wasn’t there. I found her on the bathroom floor’ Mozzie explained, carefully avoiding the subject of Sara’s persistent complaints about the cramping she’d been experiencing, information that had the potential of pushing Neal over the edge.

He watched as Neal wrung his hands anxiously, his mind likely inventing scenarios, each one worse than the other.

‘Was she unconscious?’ he asked, prodding.

‘I don’t know Neal’ Mozzie replied with a tinge of impatience. ‘I told you, she was on the floor when I found her.’

Neal returned to the various scenarios running around in his head. ‘What about the baby? Did she say anything about the baby?’

Mozzie grew suspiciously quiet.

‘What?’ Neal said, his voice growing louder. ‘What is it you’re not telling me?’

‘Nothing… I don’t know.’

Neal stood suddenly as if he’d been sitting on a pit of hot coal. 

‘Ellis?’ a woman’s voice called out. ‘Is there a Mr. Ellis?’

Neal turned to face her, a nurse in a pale blue uniform. ‘Caffrey’ he corrected. ‘But I’m here for Sara Ellis.’

‘You can come with me’ she said as Neal looked back at Mozzie.

Mozzie gave him a thumbs up and a small wave and Neal had a feeling he’d be long gone by the time he came back.

WCWCWC

‘El, stay out of it’ Peter warned, giving her his best frown.

Staff from the museum had come and gone and Peter was having lunch with his wife before returning to the office.

‘But honey, someone has to do something.’

The frown turned to an out and out glare. ‘El, it’s none of our business…’

‘How can you say that? Neal’s your CI, he and Sara are our friends and Moz… well, Moz is Moz.’

‘So? From what I can tell, they’re all grownups and we shouldn’t meddle in their affairs.’

‘Sara’s not herself right now, Mozzie can’t seem to get past his little boy pride and Neal… well, Neal is stuck in the middle.’

Peter stared down at his sandwich and shook his head. Elizabeth meddling in other people’s lives was never a good thing. She took everything to heart, wanted to make everybody’s lives better but he’d be the first to admit, she often overstepped.

‘We could have them over for dinner, try to nudge them in the right direction.’

‘Honey, Mozzie will never change and Sara’s a big girl, she can take care of herself.’

Elizabeth shrugged, gave him a sly smile.

Peter knew things would not end there.

WCWCWC

Neal was led to a smaller waiting area hidden behind a set of doors marked ‘authorized personnel only’. He expected to see Sara there but instead he found an older man in a traditional white lab coat jotting notes down on a chart.

He looked up when Neal walked in and extended his hand. ‘Dr. Henderson’ he said.

Neal replied with a polite smile. ‘Neal Caffrey.’

‘Your wife is fine’ the man said reassuringly. ‘She’s had some cramping and a bit of spotting but we’ve done an ultra-sound and the baby is fine.’

Neal didn’t bother to correct the man as to his and Sara’s relationship. Instead he repeated the word ‘wife’ under his breath. He was surprised to find it didn’t sound as strange as he might have thought. 

‘I… I thought she hit her head’ he stuttered; Mozzie hadn’t said a word about cramping and spotting. 

‘She did. She says she felt dizzy and fell back and the cast on her arm hit her on the forehead. No need for sutures, Steri strips did the trick just fine but she has a slight concussion so you should take the necessary precautions.’

The man handed Neal a list of instructions Neal was all too familiar with.

‘So… does she have to stay in hospital?’

‘No need. She tells me she has a desk job.’

Neal scoffed. Describing Sara’s work as a desk job was a stretch. He thought of all those times, she was out in the field dumpster diving and taking unnecessary risks. 

‘I suggested she rest for a couple of days and she can resume normal activities by Monday’ the doctor continued. ‘The spotting seems to have stopped for the moment. If it should start again or if the cramping doesn’t stop after a day or two, she should see her OB/GYN.’

Neal nodded vacantly, still assimilating the new information. But above all, he wanted to see Sara for himself. Now.

‘Where…’ he began.

‘She’s just finishing getting dressed in room four, across the hall. You can go in and see her if you like.’

Neal nodded and turned in that direction. He was halfway across the hall before he turned back and shouted out a hurried thank you to the physician. A quick knock on the door to the examination room and without waiting for a reply, he charged in, his eyes immediately finding Sara sitting on an examination table, buttoning up her blouse. 

He let out a long slow breath, releasing all the tension that had been building ever since his phone had rung over half an hour before at the Burkes.

She looked up and smiled at him, a smile he immediately recognized as forced. Her face was tense and he immediately spotted the bandage on her forehead beneath her blood tinged hair. Her arms reached out to him and he hurried to reach her before she tried to climb down from the narrow bed. 

‘Jesus Sara!’ he breathed against her ear. ‘Are you all right?’

He felt her nodding against his neck, her arms tightly wound around him. She held onto him like she had no intention of ever letting him go.

He heard her muffled voice. ‘I was so scared Neal’ she said. 

He closed his eyes tight, feeling her body tremble as he cradled her. He was in no hurry to let her go either. When they finally pulled apart, he looked into her eyes. They were red from crying and her usually relaxed face was tight with worry. 

‘What happened?’ he finally asked.

‘I had a nap and when I woke up, I was having these cramps so I went into the bathroom to look for a hot water bottle.’

Neal nodded as he recalled where he’d last seen the red plastic hot water bottle, way up on top of the bathroom cabinet. He started to get a visual of what had happened.

‘I stepped up on the edge of the tub to reach it but I got sort of dizzy and…’

‘Awww baby’ he interrupted. ‘Please… don’t do stuff like that when I’m not around.’

She nodded and sniffled. 

‘The doctor says you gave yourself a good knock on the head with that damn cast’ he said, trying to lighten the mood.

She smiled but the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. 

‘Now you know how I feel when you send that thing flying in the air in the middle of the night’ he added.

‘No worse than your anklet’ she replied, beginning to relax.

He reached out and held her again, running his hand up and down her back soothingly. Seeing Sara Ellis in such a vulnerable state still needed some getting used to. It hit him again; she was carrying his baby. It made him love her even more. 

He pulled away and placed his hands on her face, anchoring her in place and commanding her attention.

’That’s it’ he declared. ‘We’re going home and I’m not letting you lift a finger until next spring when this baby is born’ he said with a nervous chuckle.

‘The doctor said I can go back to work on Monday’ Sara said with a glimmer of her former formidable self.

‘Only because you told him you had a desk job’ he replied with a frown.

‘What? It’s… technically true’ she argued as the colour returned to her face.

She slid off the table with his support and they held onto each other as they made their way out of the examination room and down the hall. More than ever, they were united in this mission, to bring a healthy baby into the world and embark on the wonderful adventure of parenthood.

When they stepped into the ER waiting room, neither one of them was surprised to find that Mozzie was nowhere in sight. 

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

It would hit him every once in a while. Usually when he least expected it. He’d be doing something mundane, his mind a blank slate and she would look at him a certain way or he would notice her standing there with the almost imperceptible swelling of her belly, a silent reminder of how delightfully surprising life could be.

This was one of those times.

Sara had begged off on dinner and although Neal usually coaxed her into eating a little something, tonight he hadn’t had the heart to push it and instead he’d tucked her in, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead and bidding her good night. 

Now he sat at the table with a glass of wine, watching her as she slept, her body finally relaxed following her earlier trauma. He studied her still pale face, the bandage on her forehead hidden behind a strand of freshly washed raven hair. Her cast was casually thrown over her head on the pillow as if anchoring her to the bed. Whether by accident or by design, her right hand lay on her belly. She looked so peaceful and beautiful and miracle of miracles, she was carrying his child.

God, he loved her! More than he had ever imagined he could. 

He swallowed hard, feeling a lump forming in his throat. How could this incredibly amazing thing be happening to him - he who still had so much to atone for. He felt the weight of the anklet on his leg, grounding him in the present, reminding him that he still hadn’t finished paying his debt to society. And yet, despite his shortcomings, life had seen fit to offer him this incredible gift - all he had to do was hold on tight and try not to fuck it up. 

To say he wasn’t tempted to stray would be a lie. Of course he was. Every single day. Every time Mozzie walked in with that look of excitement in his eyes fuelled by a new challenge, a new plan to outwit the common man. It got Neal’s blood pumping and instantly, he would be mapping out a foolproof plan in his mind’s eye, visualizing every single step of their little escapade from inception to glorious success. 

He stood, abandoning his wine glass on the table and walked over to the bed where he lowered himself gently beside her. Sara let out a soft sigh but didn’t budge. He pushed his luck and reached out, gently sweeping away the strand of hair that covered her forehead. The steri strips the emergency room doctor had applied did a good job of concealing the actual wound she’d inadvertently inflicted on herself but he could still make out the redness blooming all around the bandage.

He’d cared about her for a long time, his feelings deepening as the weeks and months passed but he couldn’t help but wonder if his feelings for Sara alone had been enough motivation to make the promise he’d recently made to her: the commitment to remain on the right side of the law. He recalled a night not so long ago when they’d sat across from each other right at the very table he’d just stepped away from. Sara had been staying with him at the time and he’d found himself growing more and more delighted with their living arrangements - an arrangement in which he had everything he was looking for including the contents of the Nazi sub he and Mozzie were hiding from the world. His bubble had burst when, in answer to his question about whether or not she could live the kind of life that could only be enjoyed off the proceeds of criminal activities, Sara had replied earnestly that there were lines she would never cross. 

He’d been disappointed by her response and although torn between listening to his heart and the lure and excitement of a life of crime, he’d ultimately been unable to walk away from that big shiny object he and Moz had accidentally stumbled upon. 

An addiction, he’d once told Peter.

What had changed since then? Was this just about the baby or would he be prepared to step away if a non-pregnant Sara asked him to? He couldn’t answer truthfully. There was no doubt that his feelings for her continued to deepen over time and that he could no longer imagine his life without her. But things were known to change over time… and Sara was a grown woman, able to decide for herself just how much risk she was willing to tolerate. She had the free will to walk away from their relationship at any moment if she could no longer live with the compromises his lifestyle dictated.

But now, there was a third little person involved, an innocent child who wasn’t able to stand up for himself, who would be unable to walk away and who was totally dependent on his parents to care for him and teach him right from wrong.

He moved his eyes to rest on her hand, still lying protectively on her stomach and with a soft touch, he placed his own on top of hers. He was done trying to fool himself. It was clear that it would be impossible to live his old life while being a good role model for his son or daughter. Perhaps it was time to walk away from Mozzie for good. 

He had to admit Sara had been patient with the older man. All those times he’d barged in on them, made snide remarks about her place in Neal’s life - and heart, making it clear he didn’t approve of Neal’s choice of a mate. He behaved like a spoiled brat, vying for Neal’s attention at every turn and Sara had never made any demands of Neal despite her obvious misgivings towards Mozzie.

He felt a gentle stirring under his hand.

‘Hey’ came Sara’s rough voice. ‘You look like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders.’

He smiled at her and kicked off his shoes, stretching out on his side to face her on the bed.

‘I’m just relieved you’re all right’ he said, his fingers tracing the outline of her face. ‘You scared the living daylights out of me.’

‘Tell me about it. I guess this isn’t the last time you and I are going to worry about this little one, huh?’ she said, patting her stomach.

Neal brought his head to rest on her baby bump, gently caressing her hand.

‘Probably not’ he admitted. 

The room grew quiet except for the sound of their breathing.

‘What are we going to do about Moz?’ he finally asked.

‘What do you mean?’

‘I can’t stand seeing the two of you argue like that.’

Sara began running her fingers through his hair. ‘I’m sorry, I know this isn’t easy on you either.’

Neal’s voice was quiet. ‘I don’t blame you. Moz is an acquired taste. Believe me, I know.’

He straightened out and placed his head back on his pillow, reaching out to caress her hair. She pulled herself up and rested on her elbow, her eyes meeting his. 

‘Neal, you should have seen him, he was amazing today. I could tell he was just as terrified as I was but he kept it together all the way to the hospital’ she said, reflecting on the bespectacled man and how he’d refused to leave her side. ‘I didn’t think he had it in him.’ 

Unexpectedly, the two unlikely allies had shared something intimate, something Sara didn’t even care to discuss in detail with Neal. No matter their differences, she and Mozzie would always have the shared memory of the day she’d slipped off the edge of the tub and slammed herself in the head with her damn cast. She grew quiet and Neal could tell that whatever had transpired between the two of them would eventually help them find some common ground.

‘I didn’t even get the chance to thank him for everything…’ she added, her gaze far away. 

‘That’s okay. I thanked him when he dropped by earlier.’

‘He dropped by?’ Sara said, her eyes brightening.

‘Right after you fell asleep. He wanted to make sure you and the baby were okay. And he wanted to apologize for running out on us at the hospital.’

She smiled wistfully. ‘You know, I could never ask you not to see him anymore’ she admitted. ‘But I do worry about the influence he has on you and…’

He waited for her to finish her thought.

‘Sometimes it feels like we’re in some sick competition for your attention and that’s not the kind of life I want.’ 

‘There’s no competition babe’ he said, bringing his lips to rest on her forehead. ‘If you tell me right now that you don’t want Mozzie in our lives, in the life of our baby… I won’t fight you on it.’

Sara shook her head. ‘No… that’s not what I want Neal. Although I wouldn’t mind putting down a few ground rules for after the baby is born.’

He smiled. That sounded more than reasonable.

‘Like what?’

She seemed ill at ease. ‘Look Neal, you’re a grown man and you can make your own decisions about the people in your life. It doesn’t feel right for me to be putting conditions on your relationship with him.’

‘I disagree. I’ve grown used to Mozzie and all his crazy idiosyncrasies. I guess I’ve kind of… lost perspective. And besides, this is our baby… we both have the right to weigh in on what influences we want in his life.’

Sara sighed. ‘Well, for one thing I wouldn’t want to come home to find Mozzie showing our three-year-old how to pick a lock.’

Neal chuckled at the thought. ‘It seems to me that’s kind of a basic life skill… sort of like learning to swim or learning to drive’ he said with a wide grin.

She nudged him in the ribs playfully. 

‘Okay, no lock picking lessons’ Neal agreed. ‘What else?’

She seemed to hesitate. ‘I know you’re managing to control your impulses these days but it doesn’t help when he keeps dropping by night and day with those crazy schemes of his, trying to entice you into getting involved.’

Neal grew serious. She was right. It wasn’t always easy to resist Mozzie and his crazy ideas but wasn’t that down to him? Wasn’t it his responsibility to stand up to Moz?

Sara kept talking. ‘I want him to be more aware of what it does to you. It’s like… it’s like if you came home every night with a fudge chocolate cake and placed it in front of me or worse yet, took a forkful and placed it on the tip of my lips.’

Neal smiled at the analogy; she wasn’t far off.

‘I know you can hold your own but…’

He waited.

‘…but you’re not Superman Neal. Old habits die hard.’

‘What do you mean, I’m not Superman?’ he replied with a devilish grin. ‘Just the other night when we were lying right here you said I had superpowers… remember when I was…’

‘All right, all right’ Sara said as she gave him a playful shove.

They wrestled for a moment, laughing heartily before they both grew quiet.

‘What else?’ he asked, urging her to continue.

‘Well, it would be nice if we didn’t have to worry about Mozzie walking in on us at any moment… especially when… you know, when I’m playing Lois to your Clark Kent.’

He chuckled. ‘Agreed. But even when we lock the door, he seems to find his way in somehow.’

‘And what about the put downs?’

‘What putdowns?’ Neal said with a frown.

‘The ones he likes to throw at me when you’re not around.’

‘You never said anything about that.’

‘I’m not twelve years old Neal. I don’t need my daddy standing up for me but I do want to call him out on it.’

‘As you should’ Neal said with a decisive nod. 

‘He’s just… he’s so annoying’ Sara declared.

Neal smiled. ‘Not sure we can do anything about that.’

‘Do you think maybe we can ask him to respect our wishes and not come over every single night or say… maybe stay away on weekends?’ 

Neal kissed the tip of her nose. ‘Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.’

Sara seemed to be having second thoughts. Above all, she didn’t want to be ‘that woman’, the girlfriend who made countless demands on her boyfriend’s time.

‘I don’t want you to end up hating me for meddling in your relationship with him.’

He smiled. ‘That’s never going to happen. And besides, you’re right, it’s just… it's not always easy for me to resist - to stand up to him.’

‘Do you want me to be there?’ he added. ‘…when you sit down with him.’

‘I don’t know… Won’t he feel like we’re ganging up on him? Anyway, you can make your own rules when it comes to Mozzie. I don’t want to be the shrew who makes decisions on behalf of her boyfriend.’

‘You’re not a shrew’ he said, leaning in to kiss her lips. ‘Far from it. And besides, I already had a go at him the other night. He knows you and the baby will always come first.’

She gave him an uncertain smile.

‘Look, how about this?’ he said. ‘Why don’t we invite him over for dinner next week and I can be there for support and let the two of you talk things out. He needs to know I’m behind you one hundred percent.’

Sara crinkled up her nose. ‘How do you think he’ll react?’

‘I don’t know babe but this has to end. He’s always upsetting you and I don’t want you upset, especially now.’

She studied his face, relieved. 

‘How’s your head?’ he asked, running his finger alongside the bandage on her forehead.

‘It’s fine.’

He gave her a look of skepticism. ‘And no more climbing on chairs or on the edge of bathtubs’ he said, his voice stern.

‘Aye, aye captain’ she replied with a salute.

Neal’s face grew serious and he settled in her open arms, his head resting on her breastbone. ‘I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you. Or to little Boo-Boo.’

‘I promise…’ she murmured, resting her lips on the top of his head. ‘I won’t do anything crazy.’

He looked up, a playful grin dancing on his lips. ‘I didn’t say you couldn’t do anything crazy. As a matter of fact, I kinda like it when you do crazy things. Just… no climbing on furniture, okay?’

She flashed him a naughty smile and lifted her leg, resting it on top of his. She fluttered her eyelashes and cooed. 

‘And don’t you go giving me that sultry look either’ Neal said with an exaggerated frown. ‘The doctor said to give yourself a couple of days to get back on your feet.’

‘But I’m not on my feet’ she said, running her foot lustfully up and down his leg. 

‘Cute’ he murmured. ‘But there’s no way I’m disobeying doctors’ orders. One of us has to be the grownup in the room.’ 

She pouted and seductively ran her hand up the side of his chest. ‘Awwww come on Caffrey… can’t Superman come out and play?’

He gazed at her, tempted to give in before pasting a determined look on his face. ‘Nice try Repo… but my Superman shirt is at the cleaners.’

WCWCWC

‘Mmmmm! That looks good’ Peter said as he hovered behind El at the kitchen island.

He reached out to grab a crouton from the Caesar salad she was preparing and got a reprimanding tap on the hand for his trouble.

‘This isn’t for us’ she reminded him. 

He held her gaze, creating a distraction, and he reached out for a second one before stepping away from her.

Elizabeth giggled at his brazenness. ‘You’ve been hanging around Neal too long’ she said. ‘Now go change your shirt before they get here.’  
He slithered away towards the staircase, shouting over his shoulder. ‘I hope you know what you’re doing Elizabeth Burke. Not sure they’re going to be thrilled to be ambushed.’

‘You never mind. I know what I’m doing. Now scoot before I change my mind about going to that rib place.’

He disappeared before she could say any more. He’d managed to talk her down from the sushi bar she affectioned to that barbecue ribs place he liked and he wasn’t about to give her an excuse to change her mind.

The Burkes had been hosting Saturday night dinner most weekends since Sara had gotten pregnant. Neal was already a regular visitor to their home and now that Sara was staying with him, she’d become a welcome addition to the group. A half smile appeared on Elizabeth’s lips as her mind wandered to the months and years to come. Just the thought of having a baby around the house filled her with joy. But what about five years from now she wondered. Or ten? Would Neal and Sara’s relationship fall apart over time and lead them into parenting separately? Or would their relationship thrive and end up producing a litter of kids?

One thing was for certain, Neal would always be involved in his kids’ lives. There was no way on god’s green earth he would walk away from his own flesh and blood. Her smile faded… unless he was lead away in handcuffs which remained a looming threat. She shook off the morbid thought. For now, Neal was doing great and she and Peter were determined to help the CI stay on the right side of the law no matter what it took.

Satchmo trotted away from the kitchen where he’d been watching for any crumbs making their way to the floor. He let out a joyful bark as he sauntered to the front door.

‘Honey! I think they’re here!’ El called out.

WCWCWC

‘Itchy?’ Neal asked as he and Sara sat in the back seat of the cab taking them out to Brooklyn.

He’d been watching her struggle to get a finger under the top edge of her cast for the past two minutes.

‘Ugh!’ she shouted as she gave up and let her hand drop to her side.

Neal pulled out a pen from his pocket and slid it in between her arm and the blasted cast that had been driving her crazy for weeks now. He watched as her face relaxed.

‘Thanks’ she sighed in relief. 

He reached out for her hand, squeezing it in his in the hopes of distracting her from the constant, nagging frustration.

‘Two more days and the damn thing will finally be off’ she said.

He let his head drop onto her shoulder, staring up at her with a grin, his clear blue eyes sparkling. He gave her a warm grin and her scowl morphed into a smile.

‘Sorry’ she mumbled.

‘No need to be sorry. I get it. I broke my wrist once when I was ten and I remember climbing the walls when I couldn’t scratch that itch.’

He punctuated his sentence with a kiss to her neck and Sara giggled.

‘Headache gone?’ he asked sweetly.

‘Pretty well’ she replied, her mood changing. ‘I’m hungry.’

Neal pulled away to look into her eyes. ‘That’s a good sign babe. I think El said we were having Italian.’

Sara moaned hungrily in response. It was nice to see her getting her appetite back.

‘I’ve been thinking… how about Tuesday I make tacos and we invite Moz over?’ 

She raised her eyebrows. ‘That is one of Mozzie’s favourite.’

‘No sense putting this off any longer. I’ll tell him we want to thank him for everything he did yesterday.’

‘We do want to thank him’ she reminded him.

Neal nodded. ‘And we can… you know… talk things out.’

‘You sure you want to do this? He might not like what he hears.’

He brought her hand to his lips and deposited a kiss on her knuckles. 

‘I’m sure.’ 

WCWCWC

The sound of Satchmo’s barking was heard the moment they stepped out of the cab. Neal’s arrival always did it for the four legged member of the Burke family. 

The dog was rewarded with a warm hello from his master’s CI the moment the couple stepped into the house.

‘It smells great in here’ Sara commented as El took her jacket from her and hung it up. 

‘I made you guys a lasagna and some garlic bread’ Elizabeth said.

‘Made us?’ Neal repeated as he wandered into the dining room in search of Peter. 

He glanced around the room, noticing the table had been set for three instead of the usual four. He frowned and looked up at El. 

‘What’s going on?’ he said, pointing to the table. ‘Is one of us relegated to the kid’s table?’ 

Before she could reply, they heard a knock at the front door and watched as El grabbed her purse and sweater from the hook in the kitchen. Satchmo toddled over to greet the newcomer, his tail wagging to beat the band.

Sara and Neal exchanged puzzled looks. This was not business as usual.

‘Honey!’ El called up towards the stairs. ‘Hurry up, it’s time to go.’

Neal watched, puzzled, as Peter came into sight at the top of the staircase, staring down at his feet in order to avoid Neal’s probing gaze.

‘That’ll be our third guest’ Elizabeth announced as she reached out to open the door.

Mozzie stood on the other side, mouth hanging open, seemingly just as surprised to see Neal and Sara standing there as they were to see him.

Neal stared, eyes wide. ‘What the…’

Peter made it to the front door without saying a word and took his jacket from El’s outstretched hand. He looked like a kid who was being dragged off to the doctor’s office for his annual flu shot. He finally looked up at Neal, his eyes pleading for forgiveness.

‘I want you to know I had nothing to do with this’ he said under his breath as El slipped her arm in his and pulled him towards the door.

‘The lasagna will be ready in ten minutes’ El explained. ‘There’s tiramisu in the fridge… oh and there’s a dairy free one for you Mozzie. The wine is breathing on the kitchen counter and we won’t be home until past eleven.’

The trio stared ahead blankly, wondering how they’d let themselves get bamboozled by someone who looked as harmless as Elizabeth Burke.

Peter and El were already on the front porch when she turned one last time to look at their befuddled guests.

‘And nobody leaves this house until you work things out!’

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

The thorny topic of discussion was ignored until dessert was served. Instead, Mozzie did his best to avoid the subject, quizzing Sara on some of the newer additions to her treasure hunt list, a safe topic that steered away from any feelings or emotions. The little partnership they’d forged was a win-win proposition - Sara getting precious information on some of the pieces that had been reported stolen and Mozzie raking in a tidy sum while taking revenge on some of the fences and fellow cons who had, at least in his mind, done him wrong.

Neal couldn’t help but notice they were both doing a fine job of ignoring the elephant in the room. As he placed three steaming cups of coffee on the table, he decided it was time to take the bull by the horn. They were doing such a great job of dancing around the subject, he was going to have to bring it up himself. 

He took a seat, Sara to his right and Mozzie across from him.

‘Guys… it seems to me this might be a good time to tackle some of those… issues we’ve all been struggling with lately’ he said, looking from one to the other and back again. 

Both Moz and Sara stared down at their respective plates. 

‘Look…’ he continued in response to their silence. ‘I know you two don’t exactly travel in the same circles and chances are, if it wasn’t for me, you probably never would have met.’ 

Sara nodded but kept her eyes down. She felt Neal’s hand on hers and glanced up at him.

‘Moz?’ Neal said, waiting for Mozzie to do the same.

‘What?’ the other man mumbled.

‘I know it’s not always easy for the two of you to get along and I know you both see things from two very different perspectives.’

Mozzie didn’t move but let his eyes slide to his left so he could see how Sara was reacting. She seemed to notice and looked his way, forcing him to turn away.

‘But here’s the thing’ Neal continued, his voice a little shaky. ‘I love you both. Sara, you and I are linked together for the rest of our lives and I love you so much. You and the baby… you mean everything to me and I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to make things right for the two of you.’

Mozzie swallowed and sighed. ‘And Moz… you and I, we’ve been together for a long time and… well, I don’t want to imagine my life without you.’

A small smile appeared on Mozzie’s lips as Neal spoke.

‘But things change… and if you and I are going to keep hanging together, we’re all going to have to make some… adjustments.’

Mozzie’s smile turned to a frown.

‘Like I said, it’s not going to be easy for you two to learn to get along but what I’m saying is… well, it’ll be worth it. For me anyway.’

Sara’s eyes moved in Mozzie’s direction as he did the same.

‘Moz, I’m going to be a dad soon… something I never thought would happen.’

Mozzie opened his mouth to speak but Neal held up his hand to stop him. 

‘I know, I know what you’re going to say Moz. That guys like us don’t get to have the white picket fence. But I want it Moz, I really want it. Sara, the baby, they’ve been my salvation. Please… please don’t begrudge me having what I want so badly.’

Mozzie let his eyes drop down to his plate once again, looking defeated.

‘Moz, Sara’s the one who kept me from calling it quits with you the other night. I was so angry, I was ready to walk away for good. But she convinced me to try to make it work because she… she knows me better than I know myself and she knows I’d be miserable without you in my life.’

He turned to look at Sara. ‘And babe, Mozzie proved to all of us just yesterday that he’s got a good heart. I know he doesn’t mean to hurt you…’

Satchmo whimpered and walked over to Neal, licking his hand. Sara glanced up and gave him an almost imperceptible nod towards the front door, something that was not lost on Neal. He felt that he’d said all he needed to say and he pushed his chair back.

‘Come on Satchmo. I’ll take you for a walk’ he said as he headed for the front door and grabbed the dog’s leash.

He turned around, glancing at his dinner companions. 

‘Will you please try? For me?’ he asked as he walked out the door.

WCWCWC

Peter’s mouth was full, barbecue sauce dribbling from his chin.

‘What do you suppose is going on back at our place?’ Elizabeth asked.

He looked up and she reached over with her napkin and wiped his chin. He took a swig of beer before speaking.

‘Did you remember to lock your jewelry in the safe?’ he asked, only half serious.

El rolled her eyes. ‘Don’t be like that!’ she chastised. ‘Mozzie is a lovely person you know.’

Peter glared at her. ‘What are you talking about? He’s been nothing but trouble for Neal from the day we met him.’ 

‘Oh honey, that’s not true. He’s helped you on a lot of cases.’

Peter shook his head and prepared to take another bite. ‘Yeah… when he gets something out of it.’

‘Peter, you’re not being fair!’ Elizabeth exclaimed as she nibbled on her dinner salad. ‘After Kate died, you both worked together to keep an eye on Neal and make sure he was all right… and what about when Neal lost it and went after Fowler. If Mozzie hadn’t called you to let you know he was in trouble, Neal might have made the worst mistake of his life.’

Peter shrugged and started moaning as he chewed.

‘And if it wasn’t for Mozzie, you wouldn’t have arrested Brauer. He’s the one who put you on the right track by reaching out to the Vulture on the dark web.’

‘Still, he’s a bad influence on Neal most of the time.’

‘Honey, Mozzie is a lost little boy who never had a family to turn to. He just needs to be loved and understood.’

This time, Peter grabbed for his napkin and wiped his chin himself. ‘You know, I’ll never understand what you see in him?’ he said to his wife.

‘Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different’ she said, using her fingers as quotation marks.

‘Great!’ Peter replied sarcastically. ‘Now he’s got you speaking in quotes.’

She smiled, feeling him start to lighten up. Her hand was instantly on his, avoiding his sticky, sauce covered fingers.

‘Peter Burke…’ she said with a grin. ‘I know deep down you like him. Don’t try to pretend you don’t.’

He frowned and shook his head but she saw a smile appear on his lips as he reached for that last juicy rib.

WCWCWC

Neal sat on the park bench and checked his watch. He’d been gone less than fifteen minutes, just long enough for Mozzie and Sara to break the ice and get the conversation going. He let Satchmo off his leash and watched him saunter off to sniff the butt of a very cute bichon frisé who was strolling nearby. 

His hand was instantly reaching into his pocket, pulling out the earbud he kept on himself for just such occasions. After all, a good conman had to have his go-to tools nearby in case of emergencies. 

It had taken but a second to drop the microphone in Sara’s purse as he’d reached for the dog’s leash. He settled back on the bench to keep an eye on Satchmo as he placed the listening device in his ear.

The quality of sound was surprisingly clear; he recognized the familiar sound of Sara’s footsteps and he imagined her going into the kitchen, perhaps to get the pot of coffee.

‘Thanks’ he heard Mozzie say as clear as if he’d been sitting right beside him. 

There was the sound of a chair against the hardwood floor, followed by Sara’s voice.

‘So…’ she said in that soft voice of hers. ‘Why don’t you go first?’

WCWCWC

It was strange to be alone with Mozzie without Neal there as a buffer. Sara rarely spent time alone with the man, least of all, at Peter and El’s dining room table.

‘I wanted to thank you again’ she said, her cheeks red. ‘For yesterday…’

He nodded but said nothing.

‘I know how you hate any and all institutions, especially hospitals.’

‘I’m not a monster Sara’ Mozzie replied.

‘I never said you were. But… you were very sweet and… I don’t know how I would have managed if you hadn’t come along when you did.’

‘I’m just glad you’re all right… you and the baby.’

‘Thanks for downplaying how upset I was. I wouldn’t want Neal to know how scary it was or how I hung on to you like a life jacket.’

‘It’ll be our little secret. I can keep a secret from Neal’ Mozzie replied. ‘… when it’s in his best interest.’

‘Really?’ Sara said, arching a perfectly plucked eyebrow. 

‘Sure. I don’t tell him everything.’

‘Like what?’

‘You know… stuff like…’

‘The treasure?’ she asked.

‘I kept it from him for almost a week. I knew Peter would be grilling him about it.’

Sara smiled. ‘I guess you and Neal always have each other’s back, huh?’

‘Most of the time’ Mozzie said with a touch of bitterness. ‘But we’ve had our disagreements over the years.’ 

He recalled how Neal had lied to him about the manifest from the submarine; that one had hurt deeply.

‘Mozzie, you need to know that I’m not trying to come between the two of you.’

‘So Neal said.’

‘It’s true. I know how much your friendship means to the two of you and I never want to cause you to fall out.’

‘Neal keeps telling me that…’ Mozzie said dryly. 

Sara’s face grew taut, her eyes narrowing. ‘What? You think I got knocked up on purpose? Because it’s such a joy to throw up my insides every morning and to watch my waist expand until my clothes are ready to burst at the seams… oh and I’m really looking forward to pushing an eight pound baby out of my tiny birth canal.’

Mozzie remained silent while Sara composed herself.

‘Sorry… I still get a little testy when I think about it.’

‘I get it. This baby thing isn’t about me. But Sara, you’re turning Neal into a boy scout right before my eyes.’

‘I’m turning him into…’ she replied, her voice growing louder. ‘You’re giving me way too much credit Mozzie.’

He scowled. Deep down, he knew she was right; nobody made Neal Caffrey do anything he didn’t want to do.

‘Do you have any idea what it’s like for me since Neal decided to embrace the straight life’ he moaned. ‘We were perfectly happy until all this happened. Now it’s like he’s lost his mojo.’

‘Well my mojo’s been tampered with too, Mozzie. Neal and I were perfectly happy being amis, amants but apparently, your best friend has colossal, indestructible baby makers who can penetrate through rubber and have the ability to set off earthquakes and cause unimaginable chaos.’ 

He smiled. If there was one thing he liked about the woman, it was her sharp tongue and her bizarre sense of humour. 

‘I know…’ he admitted. ‘When it comes to beautiful women, Neal just can’t seem to help himself and now, your little spawn has upped the ante and has him fantasizing about becoming Ward Cleaver.’

‘You think he won’t be able to leave his old life behind?’ Sara asked. ‘Or is it that you don’t want him to?’

Mozzie shrugged. ‘It took a long time for the two of us to become the well-oiled machine we are today.’

Sara worked hard to keep from rolling her eyes. Instead, she took her fork and speared a bite of dessert, keeping her eyes down.

‘I miss how things were… before’ Mozzie admitted in a rare moment of honesty.

‘I’m not standing in the way Mozzie’ she said. ‘But like it or not, Neal has committed to being there for me and the baby. And need I point out that it’s your previous illegitimate… activities that landed him in prison in the first place. Four long years… to say nothing of being a lap dog for the FBI for another four.’

‘So what does that mean? There’s no room for me?’

‘Of couse there’s room for you just… not all the room.’

Mozzie crossed his arms and looked her square in the eye. ‘What do you propose?’ he asked, his voice stern.

‘Well, for one thing, you have to stop treating me like I’m the enemy. I’m not! I love Neal but even I know I can’t be everything to him just like he can’t be everything to me.’

‘I’m listening’ Mozzie said, his brow furrowed.

‘Maybe we can set a few ground rules so we can both have a piece of him… so to speak’ she began with a grimace. It all sounded so tawdry.

‘Like?’

‘Like you not barging in on us without warning’ she said. ‘It’s gotten to the point where you’ve seen me naked more often than he has.’

Mozzie frowned. Being Neal’s go to guy meant he had the prerogative to come and go as he pleased.

‘What about calling ahead?’ she suggested.

‘Calling ahead? Next thing you’ll be suggesting I make a reservation.’

‘I’d settle for no more barging in without knocking’ Sara said.

She had a long list of complaints and she knew there’d have to be some give and take.

Mozzie gave that some thought. ‘I suppose I could learn to knock. But in exchange, I’d appreciate it if you don’t give me that look every time I show up.’

Sara rolled her eyes and shook her head in desperation. ‘What look?’

‘There! That’s it!’ Mozzie said, pointing. ‘That’s the look, like you can’t wait for me leave when I’ve just walked through the door.’

She relaxed her face muscles and tsked. ‘I guess I could work on that. And what about all those nicknames you call me… like ‘litte Miss Repo’ and ‘demi-suit’. I heard you from the bathroom the other day when you referred to me as the ‘old ball and chain’.'

Mozzie smiled contentedly. He was rather proud of some of the monikers he’d come up with.

‘You know there was a time when you might have actually laughed at those. As a matter of fact I used to enjoy your little comebacks. Lately… lately, you’re like a time bomb.’  
‘I know Mozzie, believe me I know. Half the time, I don’t see it coming myself. Just… take it from me, all that hormonal shit… it’s a real thing.’

The room grew quiet and Sara decided it was time to focus. In truth, she could put up with a fair amount of crap from the man if not for one very important thing.

‘Mozzie, the truth is there’s only one thing I really want from you’ she said.

He adjusted his glasses and leaned forward, his arms on the edge of the table.

Sara’s face had grown serious and he hoped he wasn’t in for another one of her explosive crying jags.

‘Mozzie, I’ll tell you a secret. I can’t do this baby thing alone. I’m scared, all right? Some days, the only thing that keeps me sane is knowing Neal is there to share the load.’

He stared at her, unable to ignore the feelings he could see reflected in her eyes.

‘Neal made one commitment to me. Not that we’d be together forever or that he’d always love me… just that he’d always be there for the baby. And I’m counting on that.’

She swallowed before continuing, intent on keeping herself together. ‘I can see he’s really trying to keep his word but he’s only human and we all have to do our part. I will not, I repeat will not go through this alone Mozzie. I… just don’t have it in me. I can’t bear the thought of going into labour while Neal sits rotting in a jail cell. And if you care for him as much as you say you do, you’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. It’s not the same for you. You’ve managed to stay off the radar. But Neal has always been your front man and he’s vulnerable. Besides, he has Peter breathing down his neck and an office full of people scrutinizing his every move.’

Her emotions were all over the map, anger taking over. Her finger began wagging by itself. In Mozzie’s direction.

‘Do you hear me? I will not have you lead him down the garden path when we both know exactly where that road will take him. Not today, maybe not next week or even next year… but if you and Neal keep carrying on like you do, one day he’ll get caught and we both know that’s a one way ticket back to prison.’

Anger turned to worry as she rubbed her belly. ‘Regardless of how you might feel about me, this little baby, Neal’s little baby deserves better.’

Mozzie sighed. ‘You expect me to change everything because Neal didn’t have to restraint to keep from knocking you up?' 

‘Frankly, I don’t care what you do Mozzie. Just leave Neal out of it. I will not have this baby growing up without a dad.’

He looked away, unsure how to react.

‘I’m glad you two are close and I won’t stand in your way but the day I find out you’ve lured him into something that’s likely to get him locked up is the day I ask Neal to walk away from you.’

Mozzie’s face drooped at the harshness in her voice. 

‘And you know that if I ask him to, he will. Just don’t push me Mozzie.’

Properly chastised, Mozzie remained quiet.

‘And one more thing’ Sara added, her voice softening. ‘When the baby is born, there’ll be a whole new list of don’ts.’

WCWCWC

Neal felt goosebumps as he heard Sara’s words resonating in his ear. She was so strong and determined and although he was saddened at the possibility of having to walk away from Mozzie someday, he knew she was absolutely right. He might be the one in their coupling who kept things upbeat, who saw the glass as half-full and who kept her centred but she was the backbone in their relationship, the one who kept her eye on the future and made sure he didn’t get distracted by all those shiny objects.

Truth was, he’d been fighting his impulses all his life and all that had gotten him was a four year stint in federal prison and another several years at the beck and call of the FBI. His rational mind knew all too well that continuing down the path of spontaneity was a one way street to a life locked up and alone. He’d been given this incredible chance at the life he’d always wanted: a family that loved one another unconditionally, that stood together, cheered each other on and had each other’s back, no matter what.

He felt reassured that even in moments of temptation, Sara could be counted on to be strong enough for the two of them. 

There was a loud bark followed by some growling and Neal’s eyes found Satchmo, sweet, gentle Satchmo engaged in a pissing contest with a large, nasty looking German Shepherd.

‘Satch!’ he called out. ‘Come here boy!’

He momentarily pulled out the earbud and opened his arms to the dog who came trotting over, tail wagging.

‘What are you doing buddy? Can’t you see I’m busy here’ Neal asked, holding up the earbud.

Satchmo whined and tilted his head in question.

‘Oh because you’ve never eavesdropped on a conversation before’ Neal said, glaring back at him.

Satchmo kept staring, unimpressed. ‘Okay fine… I’ll stop’ Neal said in response.

He got to his feet and clipped on the pooch’s leash. 

‘Come on buddy. Let’s get you home and see if your mom and dad are back’ he said, leading the way out of the park.

He felt a sudden pang of guilt for having listened in on Sara and Mozzie’s conversation. No doubt about it, it was always interesting to hear what people said behind your back. He’d learned that, often in life, people told you what you wanted to hear to your face - something he’d mastered himself when dealing with his marks. If you wanted to know what someone really thought of you, you had to be a fly on the wall or, as in his case, be equipped with a state of the art listening device.

The guilt faded as he replayed the words he’d heard. Two people, diametrically opposed, who cared enough about him to work together to find ways of keeping him from messing up his life.

Satchmo trotted alongside him without a care in the world. Neal held his head up high and fell into step with him.

WCWCWC

The sound of dishes clanging could be heard when Neal stepped into the Burke house. There were quiet voices coming from the kitchen, none of the anger and frustration he’d overheard moments before.

‘Hey!’ he called out as he released Satchmo and followed the sounds coming from the back of the house.

Sara was standing at the sink, hands immersed in soapy water while Mozzie was busy drying the dishes - a rare sight indeed.

‘Everything all right?’ Neal asked as he made his way over to Sara and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

‘Everything’s great, right Mozzie?’

‘One hundred percent’ the man replied.

Neal nodded, relieved.

‘Well, don’t just stand there’ Mozzie said, waving a dishrag in the direction of a pile of clean dishes. ‘Put those away.’

WCWCWC

‘So, you really don’t want to tell me what you two talked about?’ Neal asked as he and Sara lay in bed.

‘You sure are one curious guy Caffrey’ she replied with a yawn. 

‘I mean… did you come to any understanding?’

Sara turned to face him. ‘You’re the one who left us alone to work things out.’

‘Yeah, when you signalled me to get out’ he replied, indignant.

‘I did not…’ Sara began. ‘All right, all right. Anyway, I think it was better this way.’

‘So are you going to tell me? What did you agree on?’

‘Just the stuff you and I talked about last night’ she said, circumspect. 

Neal pulled away, lying on his back. ‘Fine, don’t tell me’ he said, doing his best to sound put out.

He wanted to hear the words from her lips, how she and Mozzie had agreed to support him when things got tough. He decided to change the subject, his mind leading him to the future, a future he could only imagine.

‘What kind of parents do you think we’ll be’ he asked.

‘Duh’ she replied with an eye roll. ‘You’re going to be a big suck, especially if it’s a girl. I’m going to have to do all the disciplining, that’s obvious.’

‘What?!?’ he said, turning to face her.

‘I kind of like to think of myself as fair minded and understanding, you know like Ward Cleaver on the old ‘Leave it to Beaver’ show.’

Sara froze. Mozzie had used those very same words just hours ago.

‘Ward Cleaver?’ she repeated.

‘Yeah, you know… the Beav would come in, looking upset and his dad always knew the perfect thing to say or do. He’d sit down and listen to him, always have some great words of wisdom and when Beaver really messed up, he would met out some fair punishment.’

Sara listened, the conversation from earlier in the evening echoing in her ear. This reference to Wally and the Beaver’s dad was too specific to be a coincidence.

‘I guess that would make me June Cleaver then’ she said.

Neal frowned. ‘Are you kidding? I think you’re more of a Rosanne clone, you know, yell first, ask questions later’ he teased as she turned to give him a good-natured shove. Giggling ensued followed by a short make-out session which Neal insisted should go no further than second base.

They were asleep within minutes, both snoring following an emotionally fuelled day.

WCWCWC 

Sara sat on the toilet and waited for the trickle to end - it was a nightly thing these days, two to three visits to the washroom no matter how much or how little she imbibed. Her mind wandered to their earlier pillow talk. Despite Neal’s chronic curiosity, she’d been impressed at how easily he’d agreed to leave her and Mozzie alone to have their little talk. She knew it had to be killing him not knowing what people were saying about him behind his back. 

Suspicion grew and she tiptoed back to the main room and over to the chair where Neal had carelessly thrown his trousers before slipping on his sleep pants. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure her boyfriend was still asleep and she began a search of his pant pockets, not terribly surprised to come up with an earbud. 

‘Why, the little shit’ she murmured as she held the tiny item in her hand.

If he had been eavesdropping, he had to have placed the microphone somewhere in the house or more likely on her or Mozzie. Neal would not want Peter stumbling onto a listening device in his own home.

She glanced around the semi-dark room and gravitated towards her purse, the most likely place he would have dropped a microphone considering his limited options.

It took a couple of minutes to sift through the considerable baggage in her handbag but with a little persistence, she finally came across what she’d been looking for. She held it up and examined it. 

‘Gotcha!’ she whispered as she mentally twisted her handlebar moustache.

She glanced in his direction, her mind working overtime. She could chew him out but wasn’t revenge a lot sweeter?

She watched him sleeping, as innocent as a lamb.

‘Oh, it’s on Caffrey’ she murmured with a wide grin.

La fin


End file.
